


Indomitable

by TropicalDepressionKatya



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, Supernatural AU - Freeform, also shadowhunter au, but every chapter will contain violence and blood, i will put warnings, it's like a combo, relationship and character tags will be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2019-08-25 02:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16652560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TropicalDepressionKatya/pseuds/TropicalDepressionKatya
Summary: Picking up the pieces is hard when you have no idea where to look, when you don't know if you ever find them again.Trixie had lost hope of being a functional part of society for two reasons: she doesn't know how to act and she killed the supernatural for a living. However, she simply was trying to fit in in the wrong community. A run-in with two fools who burn a fucking portal down, she finds out that at least one of the reasons is false. Maybe she will belong somewhere again, with all her pieces collected and a place she felt loved.





	1. Chapter One: Shattering Glass Doesn't Fix Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Yes, a new work! I'm not sure what's gonna happen tbh. Slowburn? Idk! let's find out together, shall we?  
> Follow me on tumblr for idk all i do is stan shangela tbh  
> @tropicaldepressionkatya

Who the fuck wears _nude_ shoes to a _hunt_ in the _woods_? Trixie couldn’t believe her own stupidity. She’d think it was her first hunt. When she glanced down at her feet, the mud was already all over the soft shoe. The fabric soaked it all up, and Trixie wanted to just take them off, preferably throw them in a fire as well. Unfortunately, she had made a choice. And the price was a pair of perfect nude colored heels.

So there she was, crouched, a once beautiful pair of shoes on her feet, her hair in a ponytail. She was chewing on the inside of her cheek, eyes not leaving the tree. The tree where the demon was supposed to appear. 

Everything had led her to that point, and she was prepared. Salt, salt bullets, iron, even. The thing about demons was that they responded differently to certain things. Salt always kept them out, but couldn’t always kill them. Iron only worked on some. 

After Trixie had seen a hunter with angel blood kill a demon, she had cursed her own parents for not sleeping with angels. The runes, which apart from looking amazing, also made them better at, let’s say, everything. They had knives and swords that were given to them by the angels themselves, buzzing with light and slicing through the demons with ease. After a hit in the chest, they crawled back to where they came from. 

Trixie was jealous, but she couldn’t change her blood type and decided to let it go. She had killed plenty of demons all on her own, without runes and fancy knives. She was an amazing hunter, even though working alone could get her killed faster than she’d like. 

Her legs and knees were beginning to hurt, the demon hadn’t showed up yet. Beginning to get impatient, Trixie cocked her gun, checking the bullets, cleaning her knives. 

“Did you hear that?” Someone hissed, a little too loud, to be sneaky. “Someone is here.” 

Changing the position of her feet, Trixie stopped breathing, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. 

“It’s probably nothing. Let’s get this over with.” She exhaled again

Two women walked towards the small open spot, the tree in the middle. Big, majestic, demonic. Probably all Trixie’s favorite things, it just missed some pink. 

The smaller one, wild curls bouncing as she glanced around, reached for a bottle, which she sprinkled over the tree. Trixie caught a glimpse of a tattoo. She had no idea what they were doing. The other woman, a little taller, wearing a tight dress and black pumps, almost tripped a couple of times, before she lighted a match. 

Trixie liked to think she was pretty smart, but she didn’t realize that the girls were going to light the demon tree -- her demon tree --on fire until the match was thrown towards the tree. 

“What the fuck?!” Trixie jumped up, her voice a low growl. “Do you have any idea what the fuck you’ve just done?!” She yelled, grabbing her gun and cocking it again. 

“Oh my-“ 

The smallest girl also pulled out a gun, black and modern, yet not a revolver. Trixie knew her bullets wouldn’t kill a human, but the long shaft looked intimidating. 

The taller blonde, apparently a lot slower than her friend, pulled a machete from her back. The fire reflected on the metal. It seemed so close, too close. Trixie might have been angry, but her job was protecting the mundane, so she lunged forwards, yanking the smallest girl closer to her. “Watch out! Your fucking fire is gonna bite your asses.” 

Stunned, they looked back. Just shortly, but Trixie had lowered her gun. “I hope you know that this town is seriously fucked now, it’s y’all’s fault.” 

“We actually saved the town!” The blonde called, machete loosely dangling in her hand. “You don’t know what we’re talking about.” 

“Whatever,” Trixie put away her gun. “I’ll drop a flower on your grave.” She turned her back to the girls, jogging away. The girls wouldn’t hurt her. Not when she saved them from getting severe burns. Trixie thought it was weird they carried weapons, but consumed by anger and annoyance, she didn’t think to give it, or them, any attention. 

“Is she wearing nude shoes? Out of _fabric_? Is she stupid?” 

-

Throwing the shoes back into the sink, Trixie rubbed her eyes, sighing. As expected, those shoes were ruined. Now all she had was a pair of pink and white cowboy boots and a selection of ugly black and blue pumps. After she’d saved the town from the demons that were going to flood the town, she’d go shopping. Her formal wear was beginning to thin, all her nice clothes destroyed during working hours. So there she was, in black jeans and an orange sweater. She hated that sweater. It tickled her all the time, and by the end of the day, her skin would be red and itchy. 

The sun was beginning to rise, and Trixie realized she had lost another night of sleep to working and not being able to sleep. The coffee maker was way too loud, deafening almost, in the quiet motel. She didn’t like coffee, but the lack of tropical redbull forced her to do things she didn’t like. 

Slipping into her white boots, Trixie took her shoes, strutting through the hallway. The lights were on, but there was no sound, no living soul in sight. 

The dumpster next to the motel doors were something that had put Trixie off at first, but it was the closest to the woods and the city. After all, it was convenient. From where she was standing, she could see a crushed wall and an obvious hole in the roof. She hoped no one was dumb enough to use those rooms. 

She dropped the shoes in the dumpster, sighing once again before she turned around. 

“What is a pretty lady like you doing up so early?” Trixie had almost bumped into a tall man. He had a lot of muscles, and light hair. Generally speaking, he was attractive. 

“Not just appearing and scarring other pretty ladies.” Trixie didn’t mean to snap, but his gaze held something offputting and empty. She tried to brush past him, but he spoke again. 

“Come on, we’re already here, let’s make the most of it.” His voice was deep, but missed the warmth Trixie liked. 

“I have an appointment in two hours.” 

“Oh, with a boyfriend?” He teased, and Trixie turned fully back to the man. Her face was blank, something she always had been able to do. Resting bitchface, people said. Others said she was just a bitch. 

“No, with the police. I’m helping them.” Trixie was bluffing, but she had a certain confidence, one that people simply couldn’t ignore. 

“Oh,” His voice dropped in volume. “What are you investigating, hm?” 

“Classified,” Trixie smiled, waving. “I’m going to get ready now.” The man didn’t say anything else. 

Closing and locking the door behind her, the coffee maker was done, and she poured herself a cup. The key to delicious coffee was lots of sugar and milk. A lot of it. 

Walking over to her suitcase, Trixie frowned. FBI clothing. Her last formal skirt was covered in blood stains, after she had raided a vampire nest a few weeks ago. She really needed to go shopping. 

Since she didn’t have much choice, she picked a dark pant suit. One of the few positive things about it was that she had a pocket for her lipstick. 

Moving to the small bathroom with her mug in her hand, clothes over her arm, and shampoo bottle in her other hand, she bumped the door open with her hip. 

She’d been in the motel for a few days, so she knew the water took ages to heat up. So Trixie turned on the shower, carefully hanging the clothes over the sink as she sipped the last of her coffee. The motel towels were crappy, they always were, but bringing her own was just something she couldn’t afford. She was usually on the road, anyway. The apartment she owned in California was just collecting dust. She hadn’t been there in four months. 

But having a place where she could stack all of her stuff, her books, her bills, and pictures was nice. She planned on going back for some time after her current job. 

She stepped into the shower, the water turning dark with dirt almost immediately. Her feet and legs had been gross, covered in dirt. She’s washed most off when she got back, but dirt was annoying like that. 

Her flowery and over-expensive shampoo covered the smells of her adventure and the lack of sleep, even though her makeup was going to finish that job. 

Whatever she had to do, she would. She was going to fix the mistakes of the girls in the woods. She didn’t have a choice, really. She wouldn’t run away, even though it’d probably be safer. 

-

“Miss Johnson?” Trixie turned at the sound of her fake name. When she was an FBI agent, she was Jessica Johnson, a widow. “Your coworkers have arrived.” 

“I-“ Trixie bit her tongue, offering the officer a polite smile. “They’re here sooner than expected. Delayed flight,” She explained. “Could I talk to them for a minute?” 

“Of course, they’re with officer White.” He said. “I’ll take you, Johnson.” 

“Please, call me Jessica.” Trixie followed the man, wondering if they were real agents. Her fake ID was convincing, but with the shoes she picked, she’d never be fast enough to outrun an agent. 

“Well, here they are. If it’s fishy…” He trailed off, clearing his throat. “Call me when you’re done, okay?” 

Trixie closed the door behind her. The doors in the whole building were rather heavy. Trixie wondered why that was. But when she spotted the two agents, it was a good thing the doors were heavy. 

She pulled her gun, pointing it at the woman with wild curls. The blonde pulled her gun a little later. 

“What are you doing here?” Trixie snapped. “You set a very special tree on fire, no way they would let two idiots be FBI agents.” Trixie slowly cocked the gun, her eyes following every movement of the girls. 

“We are,” The blonde spat back. “I’m going to reach in my pocket, grab my ID.” 

Trixie nodded, balancing her focus over the blonde and the girl with dark hair. The blonde fished out an ID, it looked real enough. Then again, so did hers. “Isabel?”

“The one and only,” Isabel lowered her gun. “That’s Rose.” 

“Sounds like the fakest names ever,” Trixie scoffed, rolling her eyes. “ _I’m_ the FBI agent. Y’all are imposters.” 

Rose scoffed at the same tone as Trixie. “Well, girl, what was a _real_ FBI agent doing in the freaking woods at night? Alone?”

“Important stuff, but that’s-“ The door was flung open, startling Trixie, who turned to the person. It was the man from that morning. “What the-“ 

Even though the man only hit her with one hand, his power was enormous. As she was being thrown against the floor, she realized that it was a demon. Her vision got blurry, the air was slammed out of her lungs. She needed to get up. She needed to protect the girls. 

She forced herself up, slightly dizzy, but she had fought in worse shape. The blonde girl, who Trixie had written off as not so bright and slow, had a blade in her hand. Trixie would recognize blades like that everywhere. Freaking angel bloods. Of course they were, no one else would be as stupid to _burn a demon portal tree_. The other girl, Rose, reached for a weapon, but the man -- demon -- hit her with his fist, full against her head. 

“Shangela!” The blonde called out through gritted teeth. Trixie’s head was too messed up to connect the dots. She didn’t care, anyway. It didn’t matter who these girls were, as long as they would be alive when Trixie left the building, trying to come up with a great lie. 

She cocked her gun, the metal cold against her warm fingertips. She could feel blood drip down her neck. The blonde girl lunged away from the demon, hissing when he clawed at her skin. 

Narrowing her eyes, Trixie had trouble keeping the gun straight, seeing straight. She shot. She was pointing at the demon’s head, but missed. It hit him in the shoulder, an unnatural sound leaving his mouth. Even if he was just distracted for a moment, the blonde lady, Isabel, jumped back forwards, slamming her fancy knife into the demon's chest. With much more strength that Trixie thought was possible for a skinny thing like Isabel, she repeated the action multiple times, until the man opened his mouth, the demon circling out before vanishing with an agonizing scream. 

Isabel was panting, dropping the dead body and rushing to Rose, or Shangela’s, side. “Hey,” She whispered, so softly that if Trixie had been standing two steps back, she wouldn’t have heard it. She wouldn’t have heard the desperation, fear and slight crack in her voice. “Shangela, Shangie, are you there?” 

Trixie wondered how no one had noticed a _gunshot_ or the obvious sounds of a _fight_. She just assumed the walls were soundproof. She hurried to the door, seeing a few officers frown at her. She smiled politely, closing the door again. Getting that body out would be a problem. 

“Is she alright?” 

“Fuck no,” The blonde snapped. Trixie was almost sure her name wasn’t Isabel. “Damn it, why did I leave my Steele in the hotel?” She ran a hand through her hair, biting her lip before getting up in frustration. She kicked one of the chairs before a few creative and impressive cuss words left her mouth. 

“That isn’t gonna solve anything,” Trixie bit at the woman. She moved closer, her first-aid classes coming back. She had plenty of experience with wounds. Her head had stopped spinning, and the blood hadn’t dropped onto the floor, so she knew she was good. Better than the girl -- Shangela, she assumed -- on the floor. 

After a quick glance, she knew the woman needed a hospital, or a real doctor, at least. She remained calm, speaking slowly to not alert the other girl. “She probably has a concussion. I can’t tell if she’ll wake up all by herself. I think she needs a doctor.” 

“Okay, okay,” The girl breathed out, returning by her friend’s side. “Hear that Shangela? We’re gonna call Pep for you.” 

“Who the hell-” 

“Did I fucking ask you anything?” The blonde snapped probably harder than she intended to. She released another shaky breath. “I’m sorry, I’m really frustrated. I can’t carry her all by myself. Could you please help me?” 

“My Jeep is outside,” Trixie said, looking at the still unconscious body. “But the body. We can’t become wanted after y’all burned a demon portal.” 

Isabel closed her eyes, grinding her teeth. “Fine. I’ll take care of the body. Can you cause some distraction?” 

“Isabel,” Trixie smiled. “Distraction is my second name.” 

-

From the corner of her eye, Trixie could see the younger woman drag the body behind her, doing surprisingly well for her slim and breakable form. The officers were gathered around her as she clutched her forehead. The wound wasn’t deep, but stretched long enough over her face to worry some. Her agonizing groans were rather convincing, and men were always looking for a damsel in distress. 

“I- it was a man! How did you not see him?! He rushed over there!” Tears were streaming over her face, and Trixie was amazed at how amazing she was doing. “Please, he said he was going to kill me!” 

Several officers shuffled away, to the direction Trixie pointed at. Two stayed by her side. “Miss, it’s going to be okay. Come with us, we’ll make some phone calls-” 

“No, no,” Trixie wiped her tears away. “I- I should go home.” Trixie wiped at the last tears. “I’m okay, I’ll be okay. I just… need to get out of here.” 

“I understand, miss,” One officer said softly, a soothing tone to his voice. “Should I go and grab your purse?” He already was moving towards the door when Trixie saw Isabel hurrying back inside. 

“No!” Trixie cleared her throat, hoping her voice would break just a little. “It’s fine, I can do that myself. Can you please help him get behind bars?” The innocent flutter of eyelashes broke something in the man, his eyes softening. It wasn’t the best thing for an officer. 

“Thank you,” Trixie sniffed, wiping under her eyes again, offering the man a smile. She got up from her crouched position, taking the offered hand before she slowly skipped back to the room. Isabel was already inside, A bright grin on her face. “Good enough?” 

“Yeah,” She said, a hand pressed against Shangela’s arm. “Help me with her, okay?” Trixie didn’t even have time to brag about her theatrical skills and charm.

Trixie put the lady’s arm around her neck, gently lifting her to her feet. The other girl did the same. “So, I’m guessing you’re not Isabel?” As she groaned softly under her weight. 

“Aquaria,” She muttered back, walking as fast as she could. Even though no one was walking in the main office, they didn’t know how fast they’d be back. The black Jeep was shining around the corner, and Aquaria let Trixie alone to deal with the unconscious girl as she opened the door. The two of them gently laid the girl on the back seat. She’d been out for a good ten minutes, and Trixie was beginning to worry. 

Hopping in her car, the blonde was already sitting in the passenger seat, typing furiously on her phone. “Who’re you calling? We’re bringing her to the hospital.” 

“No!” Aquaria snapped once again. She really seemed on edge, and Trixie couldn’t blame her. “How do you think they’ll look when they see her with all those wounds? With weirdly shaped scars? Too many questions. Besides, Peppermint can get her back on her feet in just a few hours.” 

Aquaria pressed call, and was getting frustrated pretty fast. Trixie watched the girl on the backseat with caution and worry. She hoped this Peppermint person was as talented as Aquaria claimed her to be. If she wasn’t, Shangela would be dead by morning, she guessed. But Trixie felt like she couldn’t argue. Shangela had angel blood, after all. 

“Okay,” Aquaria breathed out. “Here left. Pep will be there in half an hour.” 

“That’s fast, where’s she from?” 

“She’s in France, right now,” Aquaria glanced at Shangela, her curls decorating the last seat. “She needs to set up a portal, but she loves us. We’d do anything for her, and so would she.” 

Trixie decided to say nothing. So Peppermint was going to travel by portal. Right. Sure. Whatever. 

Trixie followed Aquaria’s direction, parked in front of a rather fancy looking hotel, at least in comparison to her motel, and helped carry the brunette to their room. Room 015, first floor, luckily. The hallways were thankfully empty. 

“Let’s bring her to the bed,” Aquaria opened the door with a key, and Trixie was stunned. How in the world could they afford that place? The kitchen was small and neat and the dinner table had 4 spots. The table was decorated with a white tablecloth and yellow flowers. There even was a rather large lounge. “Over here.” 

Trixie followed Aquaria’s lead, Shangela’s eyes sometimes opening a bit. At that point, Trixie wasn’t sure if she was affected by the hit on her head or if the demon blood had been too much for her. The burns in her legs and arms had been big. 

Gently, they placed the woman on the bed, which was big and looked incredibly soft. 

Aquaria brushed Shangela’s hair out of her face with a fond look on her face. “You’ll be okay, Peppermint is on her way.” 

Trixie felt like she didn’t belong in that moment, too intimate and familiar. “Wanna help with the hot chocolate?” 

“Hot chocolate?” 

“Pep likes hot chocolate. We’re kinda friends, I guess. We don’t need to pay her anymore, so I make sure we always gets some chocolate when she comes to the rescue.” 

“Oh,” Trixie whispered, nodding her head and following Aquaria back to the kitchen. Now that there wasn’t an unconscious girl hanging between them, Trixie noticed that it wasn’t white and gold, but a soft pink cream color and bronze. The couch was one of the few shades of brown that Trixie thought didn’t look like shit, and the painting above a dresser had blue and pink tones that matched the walls and the kitchen cabinets. “I didn’t know hunting paid this well.” 

She let her fingers glide over the dresser, which was spotless. Cleaned that morning, probably. 

“Oh, it really doesn’t,” Aquaria smiled, opening the cabinet to grab a pan before moving to the fridge, which undoubtedly was too large for a hotel room. Aquaria’s mood had shifted, she didn’t seem too worried anymore. “You get creative, though. Lots of people die, you know. The unsaveable. We just…” 

“Take their money,” Trixie finished. She hadn’t done that often, found it a rather disrespectful thing to do, and got what she wanted by lying, shoplifting, and going on dates to fancy restaurants. “I thought y’all angels were nice people.” 

“Being nice doesn’t bring bread to the table,” Aquaria added some sugar to her mixture. “Can you close the curtains? Peppermint will be here soon.” 

Since Aquaria didn’t say _why_ , Trixie didn’t think it was her place to ask. She just did what was asked, muttering her questions under her breath, growing annoyed with the whole situation. In all honesty, she should probably go to her motel, try to solve the case, and forget about Aquaria and Shangela. But her curiosity was sparked, and if there was one thing Trixie knew about herself, it was that all questions _should_ be answered. 

So Trixie let Aquaria babble on and on and on. Humming or chuckling where needed. She talked a lot, stumbling over her own words from time to time, earning a genuine giggle from Trixie. It only took Peppermint about ten minutes, before she literally walked through the wall. 

“What the fuck?” Trixie chocked out when she saw the light wall darken, the core so black, it looked as if nothing had ever been there. “Aquaria, What the fuck is happening?” 

Aquaria glanced over the edge of her phone, an eyebrow raised. “Oh,” Aquaria dropped her gaze to her phone again, shutting it off a few seconds later. “The portal.” 

Aquaria moved closer to the wall, a bright smile of excitement on her face. It was as if she had forgotten about Shangela. Or that she didn’t really care. Trixie shrugged those thoughts off, because it could just be her coping mechanism, and because it definitely wasn’t her job to judge whatever was going on between them.

A woman with black braids and pink lips stepped through the ‘portal’, smiling brightly as she spotted Aquaria. “Hello, dear,” Her voice was soft and gentle, and Trixie could imagine her hug being comforting and motherly. “What happened? Where is she?” 

Aquaria led the woman to the room, and Trixie felt left out and unsure what she should do. It was a familiar feeling, even though she rarely paid attention to it. She preferred to work and travel alone, not wanting to take care of anyone, or being a burden for someone else. However, it did get lonely. 

But Kim had warned her for that, yet young and dumb Trixie had been fueled by anger and fear, and she never thought about what it had meant, getting into the business. Now that she was almost ten years older, Trixie knew, and had to live with the consequences every day, sleep with it every night. 

She hadn’t worked together since Kim, and even though she wouldn’t call saving Shangela’s live working together, she didn’t mind listening to Aquaria’s rambling, or the change of scenery. Sometimes, Trixie wondered if she made the wrong decision by working on her own. 

“You okay?” Aquaria had her hair pulled in a high ponytail, the grey-ish tone in her hair more prominent now that she was opening the curtains again. The sun was shining, and even though Trixie doubted it would warm her skin up, it was pleasant to know she wouldn’t need a raincoat. 

“Yeah,” Trixie gently shook her head, coming back from wherever her mind had wandered. It was a place she didn’t like to visit. “Is she going to be okay?” Trixie pointed at the door. The door was closed, and she swore she could hear a faint whisper. 

“Pep is fixing her,” Aquaria’s hands were balled into fists. “She’s been through worse, Shangela,” The blonde let herself fall on the couch, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. Trixie could see the hint of dirt under her nails. Maybe it was blood. 

“What about you?” Trixie couldn’t believe she forgot to ask that. Her social skills were rusting, that was obvious. The occasional hook up didn’t require much talking. Most of the time she was lying, anyway. She couldn’t be Trixie Mattel, often she had to be Jessica, or Isabella, or Alice. It was easy to forget who she was, even though fighting always brought her back. 

“I’m fine,”

“No demon blood?” Trixie had a hard time believing that. Aquaria had been dressed in a skirt and the thinnest white blouse she’d ever seen. “Want me to take a look?” 

“No, when Shangela wakes up, she’ll do it, it’s fine.” 

“You sure?” Trixie carefully stopped herself from correcting Aquaria. _If Shangela wakes up._

“Yeah, runes will heal it in no time.” 

Right. Aquaria had angel blood. Trixie tensed up. “I can look at yours, if you want. I make killer healing runes, just so you know.” 

“No,” Trixie sounded harsher than she meant to. “I mean I’m fine. I should just … go.” 

“What?” Aquaria sounded surprised, pushing herself up and shaking her head. “Hell no, you’re staying. Wouldn’t it be better if we solved this case together?” 

Trixie scoffed. “It’s obvious y’all need it, because you _set a portal on fire._ ” 

“Geez, let it go,” Aquaria chuckled. “We’ll work on that, it’ll be good in no time.” 

“ _Let it go,_ ” Trixie scoffed, pushing the tip of her shoe into the carpet, which looked too soft and expensive for an hotel. “I could be on my way home, but no, I might have to stay for _weeks_ if it’s as bad as I think it is.” 

Aquaria raised an eyebrow. “Weeks for closing a broken portal? Girl, how aren’t you dead yet?” 

“What?” It came out harsher than she meant, but Aquaria seemed unbothered. 

“I already texted someone from back home, she’ll bring some stuff and we’ll be done here in like, two days.” Aquaria looked at her nails, sighing in annoyance when she noticed that the baby blue polish had chipped a little bit. “I have to fix this.” As much as she tried to hide it, Trixie guessed she wasn’t fine, too restless to be okay.

The girl walked away, but Trixie wasn’t done. She often spent _weeks_ trying to find a solution, and this freaking teen just let someone bring the answer to all their problems to them? Well, the solution to _some_ problems. 

“What do you mean? What is she bringing?” 

Aquaria, who had an air of slight arrogance around her, looked at Trixie as if _she_ was the one who figured out how to use the potty two days ago. “Some sort of dirt made from iron and salt. A few sticks with runes. I don’t know, we’ve used it for ages.” Aquaria spoke while painting her nails a cute orange, soft yet outstanding. “Where are you from?” 

Dumbfounded by the simple question after Trixie had come to know something major, she just stood there for a long moment, trying to grasp the meaning of the words, before they hit her in the chest. “I live in Cali. Well, my house is there. I travel a lot.” 

“I can tell,” Aquaria didn’t clarify what she meant, and when Trixie was about to ask, about to be offended, the girl began talking. “We’re from Boston. We go home often enough, Raven has a large place. Sometimes we do smaller cases in little groups, the big ones all together. We’re with a lot, you know.” 

Trixie, for one, couldn’t imagine working with a large group. That only meant more people to look after, more people to protect. She couldn’t even protect one extra, how the hell was she about to take care of a _group_? However, Aquaria didn’t seem to have that problem. 

“Sounds like fun,” Trixie rolled from the heel of her foot back to her toes. “Does this Peppermint person always take so long?” 

“She won’t be ready before dawn,” Aquaria closed the bottle, blowing her nails with elegance and a certain laziness that was fascinating. “You can leave, if you want. It was really nice to bring her here.” 

“I-“ What was she supposed to say? “It’s fine, I hope she’s okay,” Trixie glanced back to the closed door. “Can I come over tomorrow? Just to check if she’s okay.” 

“Of course!” Aquaria stopped blowing her nails to smile. “Maybe you could help with cleaning up some more demons. You seem like a good hunter.” 

It did feel indispensable to leave Aquaria, a foolish girl who painted her nails before fighting demons, possibly alone to kill maybe a dozen of demons. “Sure, why not?” Trixie scratches her nose, careful not to smudge her makeup, a strange tingle in her chest. “I’ll come over at noon?” 

Aquaria nodded, giving her an awkward wave while not stopping her blowing. When Trixie left, she knew for a fact that Aquaria wasn’t looking at her. 

-

Her fingers were shaking when she tried to open her room, the faint smell of something disgusting not bothering her for the first time since she checked in. She couldn’t stop the tremble, her heart was throbbing in her throat, and tears were threatening to well up any moment. It was weird, Trixie didn’t know where it all came from. 

And yet she did. 

Careless banter with someone who understood what she did. Someone who knew more than her and wanted to work together. She hadn’t worked together in three years. 

When the lock finally clicked open, Trixie pushed herself in, hoping to find relief in the motel room, an empty room, a silent room. Nothing changed. 

So, deciding that facing her feelings would be too hard, she kicked her shoes out with more force than intended, and moved to the little kitchen. The glasses had been dirty when she arrived, and she had only cared to clean one. Filling it with water, she took a small sip. Even though it did cool her down, she still felt like crying, like fainting. 

_I love you._

The words were loud and clear in her mind, she could even imagine that stupid crooked smile. 

She threw her glass against the wall with a yell. She reached for the used plate in the sink, which soon followed the glass. Some of the glass hit the wall, jolting back at Trixie. She didn’t know if something hit her. Not then. She didn’t care. 

_See you at dinner, loser._

She leaned with her palms on the itchy tablecloth, her breathing uneven when a large tear rolled over her cheek. She never saw her at dinner.


	2. Chapter Two: Flickering Light Through The Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “God, do I fucking need to spell it out?” Shangela took a step closer to Trixie. “You could have died! Violet would have killed you! How-” 
> 
> It wasn’t like Trixie to hug someone. But drunken, and apparently enchanted, Trixie was another story. She was warmer and actually dealt with her emotions. So, she hugged Shangela, who was about a head shorter than Trixie, and also very surprised. 
> 
> “I’m not dead yet. I promise.” It felt good, being cared for. Having someone who looked out for her. She knew she wasn’t alone, at least not anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, back at it again with chapter two! Hope you enjoyed it!   
> Warning; there's talk about a possible alcoholic past and a description of violence, even though it's nothing too detailed! Be safe, pumpkin <3

With heavy eyes, Trixie continued to scroll down her phone, the brunette humming softly next to her ear, so soft and melodic it was lulling Trixie to sleep. With a low sigh, she rested her head against Shangela’s shoulder. It was uncomfortable, almost. Shangela was smaller, yet delicate and warm. So warm. 

Trixie was rather unaware of everything, except the soft humming and the fact that it was really dark in the hotel room. Aquaria had gone to bed two hours ago, but Shangela had refused. She had been out for a whole day, and said she had a lot to catch up to. Trixie, proving once again she was an amazing person, volunteered to stay with her, reading some more about the case. Staying awake was a difficult task, though. 

“So who’s coming again and why are they taking so damn long?” Trixie suppressed a yawn, failing slightly and earning a low laugh from Shangela. 

“My girl Adore is coming,” Shangela rubbed her eye, and Trixie used that time to glance up at the girl. She was beautiful, really. Her long hair was resting on her head in a messy bun that suited her. Flecks of glittery eyeshadow were resting under her eyes, her mascara beginning to smudge. It looked so human, so normal. As if she was just a regular girl, working long days and barely sleeping. “I don’t know why, all I know is that she had a setback.” They both knew they weren’t normal. They never were, and never would be. 

“Oh,” Trixie yawned again, and Shangela wrapped an arm around the woman. “Not that I mind working longer with you, though.” She wasn’t sure if it was the glasses of wine talking or her sleep-deprived self, but her flirting was shameless. 

“That’s nice of you to say,” She told herself Shangela was probably too tired to notice. “We should go to sleep, though.” 

“Do you mind if I stay over?” Her tone was painfully pathetic. “I’ll crash on the couch.” 

“Are you kidding?” Shangela shoved the taller girl with a soft laugh. “My bed is large enough, just join me.” Shangela didn’t have to say that twice. 

In just her underwear and her t-shirt, Trixie crawled in the soft bed. She hadn’t thought about bringing pj’s, and she wouldn’t want to sleep in clothes she was going to wear the day after. She felt Shangela’s eyes on her when she was shimmying out of her clothes, which gave her a confidence boost. Trixie knew she was beautiful; her body was right, even though a little jiggly. Trixie liked her body, though. She was confident, and felt beautiful in whatever she wore. 

The duvet was warm and soft and felt nice against Trixie’s cold skin. When Shangela turned around, she didn’t feel tired anymore, not when that sleepy but bright grin was focussed on her. 

“So,” Trixie wanted to remove a loose curl from her face, but stopped herself. She had to be _appropriate_. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“You’ve asked me that like twelve times since I woke up,” The young woman giggled. She was a few years younger than Trixie, even though she looked mature. Even now that her face was completely makeup-less, Trixie had a hard time believing that one woman could be so beautiful. And yet, women like Shangela weren’t necessarily her type. Too soft and beautiful to be touched by the dirt of her life. “And yes, Aquaria’s great at runes, I’m fine.” 

“Okay,” Trixie smiled. She remembered when she rushed back to the hotel the day after the incident. Shangela was awake and the first thing Trixie heard was a loud laugh, echoing through the room as an indicator that the previous silence was done. 

Peppermint had been sitting at the table, talked a bit to Trixie. She was a witch, apparently. Trixie had worked with a few, they were usually portrayed as bad, yet it was hard to imagine Peppermint do something bad. Everything screamed soft and sweet. 

When she entered the bedroom, Aquaria was drawing on Shangela’s stomach with a see-through stick. Sometimes the girl twitched or hissed, and Trixie didn’t know what to do. 

“Trixie, you’re earlier than I expected,” Aquaria briefly glanced up at her, before placing the stick back to Shangela’s skin, who moaned in pain when she continued drawing. “I’m sorry, you were almost dead, of course this is gonna hurt.” 

“What are you doing to her?” Trixie felt uncomfortable, looking at the girl who was obviously in pain, who would be squirming it Aquaria’s grip wasn’t iron. 

“A rune, don’t worry, it’s usually not that painful,” Aquaria finished the last curl and placed a soft kiss on Shangela’s cheek. “You did well, I’m sorry, baby.” 

“You’re Trixie, huh? My savior?” Shangela’s breathing was heavy, yet the twinkle in her eye was bright and warm. “Thank you.” 

“Thank-“ Trixie frowned, crossing her arms. “Why?” 

“For bring me back here,” Shangela shrugged, reaching for her glass of water. “And helping with everything, I suppose.” 

Trixie hated the word everything. It never seemed specific enough. Never held enough to be genuine. “You're welcome,” She gently rubbed her own arms, unsure what to do now. “So, are you okay?” 

Shangela had just laughed, gesturing around her and joking that she was being tortured. Her tone had been light, and happy. Trixie had found the tone weird, not suiting the situation that was their life.

It was wild to believe that had only been a day ago. And now Trixie was in her bed, had held her hand when she got a new rune, and put the smelly cream Peppermint had given them on Shangela’s head. Both girls were amazing, funny and warm. Trixie felt comfortable around them, mostly because they _understood_ her life. 

“Are you okay?” Shangela probably was smart enough to know Trixie wasn’t, even though she had never seen Trixie when she was okay. Coming to think of it, Trixie wasn’t sure if she had _ever_ been okay. 

“Yes,” Trixie smiled. She was shaken when she first properly met the girl. The small wounds on her hands and lower legs a reminder of how she had lost her temper in her motel room. With the memories brought back, it was hard to forget, hard to let go again. She had never really let her go, after all. “Just tired.” 

“Okay,” Shangela wasn’t convinced, but she just smiled. “It’ll be light in a few hours, so we better go to sleep.” 

“Stop talking, then,” Trixie snorted, maybe a little too loud, since she was hit by a pillow from the other bed. 

“God, go to sleep or fucking die, let me sleep.” The two girls giggled as Aquaria turned back around, mumbling a little under her breath. Trixie really began to regret traveling alone. Having friends was nice, and blocked a lot of negativity out. She didn’t know how she had survived. 

“Good night, Trixie.” 

“Good night, Shangela,” Trixie mocked, lightly smacking her arm, earning another soft giggle. 

-

The sun was climbing over the walls, to the ceiling, tickling it with light and warmth, yet not giving it. It was a feeling Trixie was way too familiar with. The other side of the bed was cold, but the soft snoring of Aquaria was all too present, making Trixie feel less alone, as if she had something to fall back on. 

Pushing the duvet off, Trixie stepped out of bed, feeling soft and warm carpet instead of cold, hard wood. Trixie could get used to that. To all of what Aquaria and Shangela had shown her. More money, new clothes, clean weapons. She wanted it all. 

She quickly got dressed, being as quiet as possible to not wake Aquaria up. As if staying over in a fancy hotel with warm and soft floors wasn’t enough, when she entered the main area, the smell of _actual_ coffee hit her, a kind that didn’t take hours to warm up, still tasting like swamp water. It was even better, seeing Shangela still in her pajama’s, leaning against the counter with a grin, taking a sip from her mug. “Want some?” 

“Yes please,” Trixie swallowed, taking a moment before she felt comfortable enough to walk again. Shangela handed her a mug, warmth immediately spreading through her hands and warming her fingertips up. Even though Trixie had held a lot of hot coffee cups in her life, that one felt warmer than any she had had in a long time. Not since she was a teen. Not since she had felt the soft and comforting touch from a friend. 

“Had a good night sleep?” Trixie almost choked on her sip of too hot coffee, couching awkwardly before she smiled with a red face. 

“Oh, my God,” Trixie wiped a drop of coffee from her chin. “Literally the best, I always sleep in crappy motels, so this is a nice change.” 

Shangela raised a teasing eyebrow, smiling into her own cup. “Hopefully it’ll be for more than once, then.” It was soft, a mumble, a whisper. Maybe Trixie hadn’t heard it correctly, but she hoped she had. She hoped she’d read the way Shangela grinned correctly. 

With her only answer being a crooked smile that was too bright to be flattering, she brought the cup back to her face, content. Socializing wasn’t her strongest suit, but she was charming, which was something no one could deny. Trixie Mattel was one charming bitch. 

Aquaria woke up a little while later, mostly because Shangela decided to loudly play a Beyconcé song, and Trixie went back to her own motel room, changing and doing her makeup. There were still plenty of demons to take care off. 

When she entered the motel, it felt lonelier than she remembered. The coffee maker wasn’t on, one of the lights broke and the worse part was how there was no one there. 

She always felt lonely after a night of fun, but somehow it was worse. She had actually talked to Aquaria and Shangela. It was a good thing she was only there to get changed. Trixie had spent so much time in silence that it felt like the loudest yell, a scream of desperation.

-

Trixie was driving with Shangela navigating them. Aquaria was looking rather bored on the backseat, twirling with a knife. It looked so… weird. There were never people in Trixie’s car, especially not people who casually played with knives. 

“Left,” Shangela said, pulling a pink bag that said ‘Aquaria’ on the side, on her lap. Seeing it filled with weapons was the strangest, uncomfortable thing Trixie had ever witnessed. It held a promise of a childhood that was ripped away, stolen, exchanged for weapons, danger, and fear, simply because she was born in a certain family. 

Trixie turned left. 

The lake was abandoned, no living soul near. When Trixie opened the trunk, she was glad no one was near. Her coat was already filled with knives, but she took a few guns with her to be sure, as she did with a large bottle of holy water. 

Aquaria took a manchette, which glowed up under her touch. Shangela picked a few smaller knives and a large gun. “Devil Trap bullets are quite big, as you should know.” 

“Devil Trap bullets?” 

Shangela nearly dropped the gun, mouth agape. “Literally, _how_ are you alive,” Aquaria said, gently shoving Shangela. “She’s like a lost lamb.” 

“Hey, look-” 

“No,” Shangela smiled, reaching in her pocket. “Here, this is a Devil’s Trap bullet. It basically takes demon powers away, and traps them.” 

“Y’all just…” She vaguely moved her arms. “Make that?” 

“Adore does with the help of witches and warlocks, sometimes others,” Aquaria said, loading her gun with the golden bullets, handling the gun with roughness, one that no one would give her credit for, just looking at her. “She’s no hunter, but she’s smart.” 

“Wait, wait,” Trixie stopped checking her weapons. “You work with a non-hunter? A regular human?” 

Shangela and Aquaria exchanges a look, Shangela raising a neatly drawn eyebrow. “Well, you’re a regular human in our book.” 

“I had training!” Trixie argued. “I worked my ass off, learned how to hear and see demons, I’ve been doing this since I was _fourteen_!” 

“And yet you haven’t heard of or _created_ a Devils Trap bullet.” 

Trixie had nothing else to say. It was true, after all. With a glare, she snatched a few of the bullets Shangela was holding, pressing them into her gun before aggressively cocking it. “Shut up.” 

Shangela and Aquaria laughed, rolling their eyes at the girl. Trixie, still annoyed, closed her trunk a little tougher than necessary, turning her back to the girls. “So, where do we need to be?” 

“Girl,” Shangela picked up a sword that was almost taller than she was, the light casting a soft glow on her face, making her cheekbones pop even more. “All I heard was a complaint about _un-natural sounds after witch hour_ ,” 

“Did you just quote the news?” Aquaria snorted, tucking the last knife under her dress. Trixie still wondered why Aquaria had decided to wear a dress. A freaking dress. Whatever the reason behind it was, she did look amazing in it. 

“I did,” Shangela hummed, stepping away from the car. “You went to sleep early and drunk, it’s not like I had much to do.” 

It wasn’t too warm, even though the sun was still setting, casting a bit of light, still. Trixie shivered in her thin sweater, the material not warm or thick enough to stop the chill from settling in her body. 

“Come on, it’ll be dark soon. We should get going.” 

“Scared of the dark?” Aquaria poked Trixie’s side with a laugh, joining the other girls with a short sprint. 

“I’m not,” Trixie rolled her eyes, hand resting on her gun, the other held the holy water. “I just want to get this over with. We have another case to look into, remember?” 

“Another case?” 

“Did you literally not pay attention?” Shangela sighed. “This is typical you, sleep long, fight and eat. That’s it.” 

“You’re forgetting alcohol.” 

“Yeah, Aquaria. I would definitely brag about being an _alcoholic_. We all know how that ended with Raja.” 

Trixie felt like she was invading their privacy, crossing an invisible and not explained boundary as the two girls were bickering. 

“First of all,” Aquaria began. “I’m not bragging about being an alcoholic. I’m not even addicted second of all, how _dare_ you talk about Raja like that? She wasn’t an alcoholic.” 

“What’s she gonna do?” Shangela spat. “Kill me from the grave? Girl, I have bigger things to worry about.” 

“Shangela, Sometimes you’re just too horrible-“ 

“Okay!” Trixie clapped her hands once, not wanting the bickering to get out of hand. “If y’all really feel this strongly, I think you need to talk about it when I’m not near.” 

“No, let her-“ Shangela began, but Trixie’s glare stopped her. 

“ _No_ ,” She breathed out. “We have one, maybe more, demons to take care of right now. For fuck's sake, _focus_.” 

Trixie picked up her pace, even though the other two matched hers soon, she felt like she made a statement. Even if she didn’t, they weren’t talking anymore, seemingly more focused on the case, which was all Trixie could wish for. 

She finds herself getting used to having someone by her side. It was strange, she’d been alone for years, yet there she was, growing comfortable around two women she barely even knew. 

Trixie, who had expected a smaller cabin, was surprised by how big the place was. Two floors and a seemingly large garden. It probably would be empty if it had been standing anywhere else _but_ in the empty void that happened to lay around the lake. 

Trixie opened the door, welcomed by silence, darkness, and dust flying everywhere. There were footprints in the dust, and Aquaria pulled out a flashlight, as Shangela reached for her sword. Trixie, knowing her little throwing knives would only slow it down but not kill the demon, opted for the gun, loaded with Devils Trap bullets. 

Just like before every fight, her heartbeat sped up, her breathing becoming low yet uneven. The nervous twitch in her fingers too familiar. “Split up?” Shangela whispered, and Trixie nodded. 

She took her own flashlight as she took the first floor, Shangela the second and Aquaria the garden. Trixie could only make up one pair of footprints on the ground, but she knew that not all demons traveled in vessels. 

With careful and silent steps, she went to the kitchen, a few blown out candles standing on the counter, yet nothing else. The living room was empty, as was the hall. The last room was the bathroom, but before she could even open that door, she heard Aquaria yelp. 

Turning on her heels, Trixie turned around, sprinting to the garden. The garden was pretty open, the last rays of sun vanishing over a pool smelled so awful, Trixie wanted to stuff her nose in rotten eggs. 

Aquaria was cornered by two demons, one in a vessel, the other not. She continued running, seeing Shangela jump out of a window in front of her with an elegant roll before sprinting off. _Damn those runes_. It wasn’t the best moment to be jealous, though. 

Aquaria stabbed the human vessel with her fancy knife before turning and kicking the demon in the stomach with her heel. The flesh made an awful sound, a gassy smell soon surrounding the place. Aquaria pulled her gun, and Shangela had her sword ready. She sliced at the regular demon, Aquaria pushing the vessel to the ground, her tiny bracelets lighting up, doing… something. 

Shangela cut the head off of the demon as Trixie reached the scene. She was late. As fast as she could, she threw holy water on the demon, Shangela getting where she was going to, started drawing with her rune stick. 

The vessel yelled, nasty burns bubbling on his face and neck, wherever the water hit him. “We’re good.” Shangela panted, and Aquaria got up, the demon trapped and in pain. 

“Exorcism?” Aquaria was short of breath, cleaning her hands on her dress and brushing a few strands away from her face. 

“Obviously,” Shangela stated.

“Why? He won’t survive, you _stabbed_ him and he was already weakened.” Trixie argued. It’d be easier to just cut him open. 

“We have to try,” Shangela didn’t look at Trixie. “We always do.” 

Trixie, who knew that it was pretty useless to try, didn’t fight it. She knew that if there was _anything_ she could do to soften the hurting they’d feel after the vessel, who had been a man, died, she’d do it. 

“Okay, go ahead.” Aquaria had already taken a few steps back, after squeezing Shangela’s hand. Trixie followed, listened to the brunette speak the Latin words carefully. She saw the man squirm, scream, arch his back. There was a reason why Trixie preferred to just kill. She closed her eyes. 

The demon left his vessel in a cloud of dust and with a low, deep sigh.

Shangela lunged to the man, checking his pulse. “Dead.” 

-

Much to Aquaria’s delight, the group decided to go to the one bar the little town had. Surely, if a demon were to cause any trouble, that’d be a good place to start. 

After a few drinks, Aquaria seemed to see someone she liked, and headed to the pool table. Shangela had darted away to chat with one of the employe’s who was on a break, Trixie heard her asking about strange activities lately. Always professional. 

Trixie slowly traced the edge of her glass, the ice in the pink cocktail slowly melting, the drink warming up in the damp bar. 

When she glanced at Aquaria, she noticed a new tattoo, a new rune. It was fading, and Trixie guessed it was one for health, a speedy recovery. She couldn’t care less, if she was being honest. It couldn’t help her, and it hadn’t helped the people from her past. 

Her mind wandered back to the fight. To how Shangela had _jumped out of a window_ while Trixie couldn’t get to the younger girl in time. 

It wasn't often she felt useless, or as if she had never felt like she had disappointed everyone, it was just never quite like _that_. She wasn’t fast enough, not smart enough. 

“Hey, pretty lady,” Trixie had expected a man, a cheeky grin or something like that, but when she looked up, she saw a lady. A pretty lady in a purple dress, hair in a high updo, and perfect eyebrows. “Don’t tell me you’re here alone.” 

She could have been. “No, no,” Trixie smiled, taking a sip from her awfully sweet and room temperature drink before smiling at the lady. “But, they’ve ditched me.” 

“Well, allow me to entertain you,” She took Trixie’s hand, kissing it. “The name’s Violet.” 

“Trixie.” 

Talking to Violet was… an experience. She was a little snobby, though she could laugh with Trixie’s sometimes horrible jokes. She casually threw around terms like “to be completely candor”, “as one has informed me”, and so on. But she bought Trixie drinks, and the more pink Barbie drinks Trixie drank, the less she cared. 

Until she heard Shangela’s loud, slightly over the top laugh, Trixie had forgotten they were at the bar for a case. “So, you’re from near here, I heard that they found a body, yesterday.” 

“I heard something too,” Violet dipped her finger in her glass of champagne, still as full as if had been when they began talking. “Jaw broken open, burns over his body.” 

“Do things like that…” Trixie wanted to sound as if she wasn’t fishing for information. “Happen often?” 

Violet glanced up at Trixie, a short chuckle followed before she finally took a sip of her drink. “Let’s just say that you better stay away from the woods. Everyone knows that, here.” 

Trixie hummed, finishing her drink. She had stopped counting at four. “Let’s not talk about something that dark and twisted,” Violet leaned forwards, placing a hand on Trixie’s thigh, her eyes focussing on Trixie’s. They were almost purple. _Violet_. But then again, Trixie was tipsy, and the funky lighting probably wasn’t helping. “Let’s get out of here.” 

Turning Violet down seemed unthinkable. She was beautiful, graceful, and looked so soft and beautiful. Violet leaned in, and Trixie couldn’t help but be enchanted by the way her lips twitched slightly, hovering before her face. “What do you say?” 

Trixie wanted to say yes, do anything to please Violet and keep her close. Anything, anything, _anything_.

“Trixie,” Shangela’s arm was wrapped about her neck, pulling her back and out of the trance that was Violet and everything about her. “Girl, what are you doing?” She laughed freely, yet limited. 

“What do you mean?” Trixie felt dizzy, unstable. She blamed the drinks. 

Violet scoffed, and Shangela glared at her. “C’mon, you look like you need some fresh air.” 

“But I’m talking to-” 

“She’ll be here when you’re feeling better, come on.” And Trixie didn’t fight anymore. All willpower seemed to have left her body, a drunken warmth falling over her when she left Violet behind. A tension slipped off her body as soon as she felt the fresh air on her skin. She sighed with content. 

“Jealous?” Trixie raised an eyebrow, giggling like a little girl as she leaned against the brick wall, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

“Are you literally that stupid?” There was a harshness to Shangela’s normally playful, warm voice. “How the hell are you still alive, girl?” 

“What do you mean?” Trixie let go of her hair, frowning as she pushed herself up. She was probably too drunk to understand anything serious. 

“That woman!” Shangela snapped, pointing a finger to the door. She took a deep breath, running a hand over her face. “That woman is a vampire. She charmed you. She’d kill you.” 

“What?” 

“God, do I fucking need to spell it out?” Shangela took a step closer to Trixie. “You could have died! Violet would have killed you! How-” 

It wasn’t like Trixie to hug someone. But drunken, and apparently enchanted, Trixie was another story. She was warmer and actually dealt with her emotions. So, she hugged Shangela, who was about a head shorter than Trixie, and also very surprised. 

“I’m not dead yet. I promise.” It felt good, being cared for. Having someone who looked out for her. She knew she wasn’t alone, at least not anymore. 

After being frozen for a hot second, Shangela wrapped her arms around Trixie as well. “Let’s keep it like that, honey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me on Tumblr @tropicaldepressionkatya if you want to see me breakdown or just wanna talk ;)


	3. Chapter Three: Look Left And Right Before You Cross The Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What? Who?" 
> 
> A delicate and slender hand wrapped itself around Shangela's shoulder, pushing the small woman aside with ease. 
> 
> "Well, that hurt my feeling," The voice, thick like honey, yet not as sweet, made Trixie narrow her eyes. She might have been a bit drunk when she met Violet, but she certainly remembered her. "Don't tell me you don't remember me." 
> 
> "I do," Trixie pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're the bitch that tried to enchant me." 
> 
> Violet clacked her tongue, shaking her head with an amused smile. Her hair was crazy straight, running down over her shoulders and ending right above her ribcage. "I thought you were nice. Well, before I found out you were a _hunter_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, idk why I'm even doing these titles anymore. It actually fits better with a next chapter, but until I find a better planning method, this will have to do. I'm terribly sorry ksdjhfgd

“Guys!” Trixie pushed the door of the hotel room open. After a few days, she was comfortable enough around them to just enter whenever she pleased. “Hello?” 

The living area was quiet, which was odd, since the two women staying in the room were anything _but_ silent. It was around noon, and Trixie had been texting Shangela before, so she knew they’d awake. 

Her gun burned against her back, the metal cold, yet hot against her skin. As she neared the bedroom, she heard the shower running, faint music, and a soft murmur. Relaxing, Trixie breathed out. 

“Hey,” Trixie knocked before opening, her smile quickly fell when she saw Aquaria, knees to her chest, one of the glowing knives in her hand as she was rocking back and forth, her free hand tangled in her hair, pulling roughy before relaxing and pulling again. “Aquaria?” 

Over the singing that came from the bathroom, Trixie heard the soft murmur leaving her lips. It sounded troubled, desperate. “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” It was barely a whisper, yet the pain, fear, and panic was obvious. 

“Hey, Aquaria,” Trixie took a few steps closer, worried and curious. “Aquaria. What’s going on?” 

“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” She didn’t seem to notice Trixie, kept mumbling to herself. 

Trixie breathed out, debating whether or not she should approach the young girl. Deciding that she should, she stepped closer, gently placing a hand on her shoulder once she was in front of the blonde. 

“Aquaria, baby, are you okay?” 

Her eyes snapped at Trixie, wide, laced with fear and panic as she reached for Trixie’s face. “She won’t shut up, ”Tears were streaming over her cheeks. “Please make her shut up, I don’t think I can-“ A sob left her mouth. 

“Hey, hey,” Trixie grabbed Aquaria’s shoulders, not sure how to comfort her. “It’s okay, I’m here,” She said. “I’m not going anywhere.” Aquaria was still for a long moment, her eyes holding something that Trixie feared. 

“I don’t know if I can fight her,” She whispered, finally hugging Trixie, her face buried against her chest. “I don’t think I’m strong enough.” 

Trixie slowly ran her fingers through her hair. “That’s alright, it’ll be okay,” Trixie whispered in her best soothing voice, pressing the girl against her body as she moved back and forth, just like she often saw on television. “I’m here.” 

It felt like ages, sitting there. Trixi was _so_ confused, yet couldn’t ask or say anything. She just tried to comfort Aquaria until Shangela came back. 

It felt longer than anything she had ever experienced, so when Shangela finally returned from the bathroom, still drying her already unruly hair, she was surprised, shocked.

“What’s going on in here?” Since Aquaria didn’t answer, Trixie whispered her answer, hoping the younger blonde had fallen asleep, even though that seemed unthinkable. 

“I don’t know, she was crying, rocking back and forth, saying ‘shut up’ over and over again.” 

Shangela frowned, softly running a hand up and down her friend’s spine. “So soon?” Trixie was sure it wasn’t meant for her ears, but she was too curious to let it slide. 

“What do you mean? Does this happen often?” 

“Don’t worry about it, girl,” Shangela smiled. “Maybe you should go back to your place, meet us at the diner in an hour?” 

“You can’t just tell me to leave now,” Trixie argued, still holding Aquaria, stroking her hair. “Aquaria had a full on panic attack!” 

“Not now,” Shangela hissed, pushing Trixie away from her friend. “No offense, but we’ve known you for not even a week! We owe you nothing.” 

Trixie, knowing very well that Shangela was right, got up with a scold after passing Aquaria to Shangela. The blonde looked rather out of it, and Trixie tried to keep her voice low. “You know what? You’re right. I’ve known you for about four days, and yet I’ve helped y’all more than you’d like to admit. Sorry I care about her,” She was angry, but mostly hurt and worried. “Guess I should go care about the walls in my motel. I’m positive y’all can solve this without me. As you said, you owe me nothing.” 

Trixie slammed the door shut behind her. She knew, if she dug to the sensible part of her brain, that Shangela was right. They didn’t owe her an explanation. She could have read it as ‘I don’t want to tell you yet’, but instead, she understood it as ‘we don’t need you, you’re just here’. If she was being honest, she had felt like that more than once while working together. She had blamed it on getting used to working together again, but maybe being alone wasn’t that bad. She’d take the loneliness, if she had to. 

-

Paying the woman who took her key back, she played with her hair as she waited for the change before dragging her two suitcases back to her car. Dropping the suitcases in the trunk, Trixie sighed, biting her lip and resting her head against the window. It was just for a second, before she pulled back, looking for her keys.

Telling herself leaving while she still could was the best decision, she opened the door. She didn’t have the heart to start and actually drive away. Not when she hadn’t said bye to Aquaria, who might not be fine at all. She didn’t want to leave with Shangela thinking she was angry. 

Trixie had already made the first step, and she wasn’t one for backing down, giving up. No matter how much she told herself she wasn’t giving up, leaving felt like it. 

“Trixie! Wait,” Trixie turned around, seeing Shangela approaching her car. As much as she was relieved, she was annoyed. However, being a nice person and not feeling like leaving, she got out of the car. 

“What?” 

Shangela came to stop, her hair still damp as she panted. “Girl, I just-“ It seemed like she didn’t know what to say. “Don’t leave.” 

“You’ve got your own little group, I get it. I’ve only known you for a couple of days-“ 

Shangela stopped Trixie. “You’re fun. You’re pretty damn amazing at what you do, too. Yeah, we could probably do without you, but _I_ don’t want to.” 

“I don’t-“ Trixie stopped herself, looking at her white boots. Did Shangela just say she wanted her to stay? Did she just say _she_ thought she was okay and basically that she liked Trixie? “What do you expect me to say?” 

“That you’ll stay. I’m really sorry about what happened, I panicked, and I didn’t wanna tell anything Aquaria wouldn’t want you to know. She’ll tell when she’s ready. It’s not my place.” 

“You’re right,” Trixie mumbled. “I realize that, it’s just… I was scared. You don’t have to believe me, but I care about y’all.” She whispered, really wanting to stay, yet really wanting to go through with what she had planned. 

“So you’re staying?” Shangela smiled hopefully, her eyes so bright, calling for Trixie’s own smile. 

“I don’t know if I can-“ Trixie looked away. 

Shangela hugged Trixie, then. It was a tight bear hug. One that felt like home. “We’re all troubled here. You don’t have to deal with your problems alone.” 

Trixie, who had always thought she was quite good at hiding her feelings, her problems, was taken aback, yet she didn’t fight it. She sighed into the hug, gently patting Shangela’s back for a moment before both girls let go. “Sometimes I get protective,” Shangela chuckled. “You with vampire lady. Aquaria and her… situation.” 

As curious Trixie was, she managed to let it go. “I have a tendency to be stupid,” Trixie squeezes Shangela’s arm.

There was more to say, probably. More apologies Trixie didn’t feel like reviving or giving. It was fine, just like that. She knew she could be unstable, as much as she tried to deny it. Trixie was a woman who easily got hurt. Besides, Shangela was younger by quite a few years, and still proving to be the bigger person. 

So, when Shangela smiled, Trixie smiled right back at her. “I should go check back in.” 

“Hell no, girl,” Shangela placed her hand on the car. “You’re coming to the hotel with me, you’ve slept in my bed once, you can do it again.” 

Trixie, who didn’t feel like fighting anymore, who didn’t want to fight such an amazing offer, shrugged. “Fine by me.” 

And just like that, Trixie decided that whatever had happened was over. 

So Shangela took a seat in the passenger's seat, and Trixie drove to the hotel. Shangela’s stamina was quite amazing, apparently, since the hotel was far from Trixie’s motel. 

The ride was quiet, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as Trixie would have guessed. It was still uncomfortable, but it felt familiar and slightly pleasant. 

Aquaria had her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, her lips were painted a deep red and her lashes were long. She looked so different. “Oh, I’m glad you listened to me for once,” Aquaria put her phone down. 

“I have my moments,” Shangela put one of Trixie’s suitcases down, rolling her shoulders back. “Heard from Adore?”

“Yeah, actually,” Aquaria moves from one foot to another, placing her hands on the table and leaning over it with a smile. “Tomorrow, around noon.” 

“Girl, What the fuck is she doing?” Shangela chuckled. “You can’t tell me it takes someone this long to get here.” 

Aquaria shrugged, moving to one of the cabinets. “I don’t know, I’m guessing she was in Cali and had some business to finish,” She turned back to Trixie. “That means getting on her knees, if you get what I mean.” 

Trixie did understand, so she smiled, dragging her suitcases further. “So,” Aquaria followed her to the one bedroom. “What brought you back?” 

“How can you be so… _normal_?” It wasn’t at all what Trixie had wanted to say, but she couldn’t stop herself. 

“Sweetie, we all are anything but-“ Aquaria began with a laugh, but Trixie noticed her stiffen up. 

“No, no,” Trixie shook her head, hands placed on her waist. “I think you know what I mean, how can you pretend you didn’t have a breakdown just… just hours ago!” 

“Calm your tits,” Aquaria shrugged. “It happens all the time, actually. It’s no big deal, pinky promise!” 

Trixie shook her head, opening one of her suitcases to pull a pit of shoes out. “Honestly, I get that you don’t want to talk about it, but you’re sugarcoating.” 

“I’m not,” Aquaria shrugged again, chewing her gum loudly. Trixie hadn’t noticed the gum before. “There are just problems you can’t explain.” 

Trixie didn’t answer, because that was something she knew was true. She stepped out of her boots and into her pumps and took a deep breath. 

“Anyone want to go to the diner? You’re buying.” 

“Don’t think that’s how it works,” Shangela called from the other room. 

“I’m in,” Aquaria was already getting up. “One sec to do my hair.” 

“Same here,” Shangela called, but Trixie assumes she wasn’t going to fix her hair. 

-

“What should Shangela order?” Even though Aquaria was articulating quite well, Siri still didn’t understand the question. “You stupid bitch,” She laughed, putting her phone away. “Guess you’ll have to choose yourself, Shangie.” 

“Yeah, too bad they don’t serve pancakes after three o’clock,” She scoffed. “Who makes these bullshit rules, anyway?”

Trixie let the girls giggle and talk about how unfair the pancake situation was while she reached for her phone. Her only contacts were her mother and sister, who rarely texted, anyway. 

Chewing on her bottom lip, Trixie wondered if she would ever text Shangela or Aquaria. Once they closed the portal, she assumed they would part ways. Maybe she would when she was in Boston, if that ever happened. 

“Come on, Trixie!” Aquaria pokes her side. “You can laugh, it was funny.” 

Trixie, who hadn’t heard the joke, awkwardly chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hey, could I maybe get your numbers? You never know what can happen.” She scratched the back of her neck, looking at the salt and pepper duo, rather than the girls. 

“Hell yeah,” Shangela took the phone. “You only have two contacts? What a sad world,” She typed her number and took a selfie to set as the picture, handing the phone to Aquaria who did the same. 

“You better use it,” Aquaria smiled before the waiter came. “Oh, right, why don’t you sell pancakes after three o’clock?” 

Trixie smiled, her phone feeling more valuable now that she had numbers she’d actually use, hopefully. 

“Uhm-“ The waiter looked caught off guard by the question, and Trixie stuffed a laugh. 

“Oh, sweetheart, don’t pay attention to her. I want the breakfast special.” 

“Fine, give me the apple pie.” Aquaria rolled her eyes, leaning her head on one hand. 

“Miss?” Trixie smiled, nodding. 

“Yeah, sorry, I’d like the pasta, please.” 

“ _Pasta_?” 

“Oh, my god,” Trixie laughed. “You don’t have the right to judge me, you ordered breakfast at three thirty.” 

“Yeah, because I have _great_ taste, and they somehow allow that but not pancakes.” Trixie snorted, and Aquaria found a way into the conversation. 

“Judging by your taste in women, I’d say you don’t.” 

“Come on!” Shangela took a sip of her tea. “Talia was _hot_ ,” 

“Your girlfriend?” Trixie asked, taking a sip from her soda to distract herself. Shangela took a moment to look at Trixie, it felt as if her soul was being sucked out of her. 

“Nope,” she answered, eventually. “A couple of dates, a couple of nights, that’s it.” 

“Yeah, she was normal,” Aquaria laughed. “Not enough problems for Shangela.” 

“Can you stop embarrassing me?” Shangela kicked at Aquaria’s shins, hitting the seat instead. Trixie watched with a find smile. “I have excellent taste in women, I just want you to know that, Trixie.” And then, Shangela winked. 

“If that was flirting, you’re really horrible at it,” Trixie said. 

“Oh, she is!” 

“I’m not!” Shangela defended. “You just don’t have taste.” 

“Yeah, maybe you should use some pickup lines on Trixie,” Aquaria pokes at Trixie, then. “She’d love it.” 

Aquaria wasn’t lying, but Trixie wasn’t planning on saying that. “She wishes,” Trixie teased, playing with her napkin. “I’m definitely hard to get.” 

Shangela snorted, and if the waiter hadn’t returned with their food, she would have spat out a witty comment, probably making Trixie blush. So, she thanked the waiter with an extra bright smile before they began eating. 

To Trixie, who had been living off cold tea and the occasional cereal based candy for days, the pasta tasted like a five-star dish. 

“Someone’s starving,” Shangela said with a soft chuckle, taking an elegant bite of her food. Trixie never thought she’d describe someone _eating_ as elegant. 

Trixie only grinned, not caring enough to discard her food long enough to answer. She didn’t have to, since Aquaria had no problem talking between taking the tiniest bites. 

Trixie, who had been trying to focus on anything else, thought back of that morning. It felt long ago. She was curious, of course she was. She didn’t want to pressure Aquaria into telling her anything, but she did want to know what she should do. Was it a panic attack? Was it something else? 

When Trixie Mattel said she had no clue, she really didn’t have a clue. 

Lost in her thoughts and filling her stomach, she finished eating first, finally snapping out of her thoughts. 

“-No, you bitch ass,” She heard Aquaria say. “What the fuck are you talking about?!” 

“I’m just saying!” Shangela fought back. “You’re not the brightest-“ 

“I’m here to have a good time, not to be _bullied_ ,” Aquaria pretended to be hurt. The bickering was innocent, funny, and charming. Amusing, on top of that. It was hard for Trixie to think about eating in silence in a few days. 

“Right, Trix?” 

Trixie, who hadn’t been paying attention, smiled and nodded. “Sure,” 

“She’s just agreeing because she wasn’t paying attention to your bullshit!” Shangela pointed out, drinking the last of her soda, being the last to finish. 

“Well, that’s true.” 

“Still,” Aquaria mused. “Two against one, I get to drive.” 

“Wait,” Trixie’s mouth fell open. “ _What_?” 

Shangela pointed a finger at Trixie. Her nails were short and painted a playful pink. “You,” Her rings reflected the fluorescent lights, and Trixie just wanted to snatch that blue-stoned ring off her finger. “If we die, I’m blaming you.” 

“Shush it, Miss negative,” Aquaria picked up her purse, leaving a generous amount of money under one of the glasses, waving at the waiter. “If you’re letting Adore drive here from Boston or Cali or whatever, you can let me drive to the hotel.” 

“The hotel?” Trixie asked, putting her light pink coat on. “No more things to take care of?” 

“We’re gonna gear up and check the news, we’ll see from there. It’ll only be light for a few more hours.” 

Trixie hummed, moving across the booth to help Shangela untangle her hair from her earring. “Okay, cool,” She smiled, tugging at the curl. 

“Geez, honey, Imma need my hair to still look great after you’ve pulled half out of my head.” 

“That made no sense,” The hair came out of the earring. “There. You might want to change those as well.” Trixie playfully tapped the hoop. 

“Believe me, I made that mistake once,” Shangela smiled.

“Bloodbath and crying,” Aquaria chirped in. “Worst day of my life.” 

“Oh, little miss dramatic is back,” Shangela rolled her eyes. “It’s not too late to leave her here.” 

“Uh, yes it is,” Aquaria slipped her hand in Trixie’s pocket, so fast she almost didn’t notice. “I’m driving.” 

“Oh God, time to pray.” 

-

Trixie’s breathing was ragged when she let herself fall against the hood of her Jeep. She could already feel the bruises forming on her side and lower arms. She was lucky it was only that, though. 

Glancing at Aquaria, who was holding her arm, she pulled a face. That arm was obviously broken. “You good?” 

“Yeah,” Aquaria sniffed, tears threatening to spill out. “Shangela is gonna lap me up, right?” 

Out of all of them, Shangela got away with the least amount of damage. Apart from the usual small bruises, she seemed to only have a cut on her forehead, blood slowly dripping out of it. 

“Sure,” They all sounded tired, worn out from the fight. “Let me just grab my Steele.” 

They had underestimated the demons, instead of one or two, there had been _five_. They were lucky the demons weren’t the brightest and had the element of surprise. 

Shangela opened the trunk, rummaging through the pink bag that Aquaria had stuffed their ‘special’ stuff in. In other words; stuff _Trixie_ couldn’t use. 

She moved back to her friend, gently pulling her shirt down her shoulder. Trixie looked away, but heard the blonde hiss when Shangela began to draw the rune. She knew they’d both feel brand new in an hour. 

A sting of jealousy ran through her body, because she knew she would be in pain for a good few days. 

"Are y'all done?" Trixie called without looking up from her boots. No answer. Sighing, she assumed the girls were simply still drawing on each other. "Come on, guys! It's like four am, I wanna sleep." 

Finally looking up, she saw Aquaria roll her shoulders back, her arm still pressed against her body. "Give us a moment, can you?" Aquaria snapped, and Trixie swore she could hear the girl whisper 'fucking cunt' under her breath. Trixie was too tired to care, anyway. 

"You can be polite about it," Shangela chuckled. "We can finish this in the car," She pulled the door open, letting Aquaria get in first. "All done," She grinned, getting in the car. Shangela was one confusing girl. 

Maybe Trixie was seeing things, even though she told herself she wasn't. She was a hunter, for fuck's sake. She had amazing vision, which rarely failed her. Yet, she told herself that that slender shadow was nothing, or better, no one. Shrugging it off, Trixie pulled the door from her Jeep open, starting the engine and hitting the gas. It was time for a shower and a long nap. 

Aquaria was loudly complaining on the backseat, and apparently, Trixie was the only one who seemed to be tired or annoyed. "Aquaria, can you shut up?" 

"Do you have a broken arm?" 

"Oh, please, that little rune of yours is working, so stop being a little bitch and shut the fuck up." Trixie spat, glancing at the younger girl in her mirror. 

"Someone is tired," Shangela said, looking rather amused at the scene. Aquaria's mouth was hanging open, but Trixie couldn't even bring herself to grin at her little victory. 

"Oh, you'd think?" 

"Geez, I'm sorry you're a pussy." Aquaria stopped Shangela from answering. 

Trixie rolled her eyes. Whenever she was tired, losing her temper was easy, especially when she was annoyed. In the morning, she'd probably regret snapping. However, at that moment she didn't really care. 

The rest of the car ride was silent, unless you counted Aquaria's groans when they hit a speed bump, which began to become rarer by the minute. 

When they pulled in on the parking lot, Trixie took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders back before opening the door. Shangela and Aquaria were already moving towards the hotel. 

At the ungodly hour they arrived, it was no surprise to see that the lobby was empty, as were the hallways they passed. Aquaria's arm went from pressed against her stomach to hanging next to her side. She handed Shangela the key with a pout. Trixie wondered why Shangela hadn’t snapped at her yet. 

"Shotgun shower!" Aquaria called, rolling her wrist around, relaxing her muscles. 

"What about your arm?" 

"I'll be fine, the rune is burning," Aquaria slumped towards the bathroom with a wink, and Trixie went to the bedroom. She kicked her boots off, letting herself fall on the bed with a loud sigh, shielding her eyes with an arm. 

"What you said in the car wasn't nice," Shangela muttered, laying down next to Trixie, turning her head to the blonde. 

"You can't judge me for snapping," Trixie said, her voice soft, but still strong. 

"True," Shangela chuckled. "But if you're gonna keep hunting with us, you really gotta learn how to control your tongue when you're tired, we make long nights all the time, and let me tell you," She moved a bit closer, resting her chin on Trixie’s shoulder. “She only gets worse.” 

Trixie, who preferred to be in her motel before two am, couldn't imagine being home that late, on the regular. She laughed before answering. "Honey, my tongue works, tired or not," She lifted her arm to give Shangela a suggestive wink, at which she snorted. 

"Oh, so you're a sex goddess?" 

"Your words, not mine," Trixie hummed, biting her lip. "Would you kill me if I went to bed before taking a shower?" 

"Only if you sleep in my bed," Shangela rolled on her stomach, poking Trixie's side. "You can take the couch if you're that desperate." 

"Hmm," She was seriously considering it, sleep creeping through the cracks of her mind. "God, I can just feel my shoulders getting stuck in the morning." 

Shangela frowned before inspecting her nails. "I can give you a massage, if you want," The way she suggested it was careless, as if she offered her a bottle of water. "I'm pretty damn good." 

A joke was laying on the tip of Trixie's tongue, one about how she was a massage goddess, allegedly. She was too tired, and her brain refused to work. Maybe she should grab a redbull or something. 

"Yes please." 

She pushed herself up, and Shangela sat down behind her, massaging her shoulders with just the right amount of pressure. "Like that?" 

Trixie moaned in content, closing her eyes as she leaned into the rough touch, which felt amazing. "Yeah,"

Shangela smiled, even though Trixie couldn't see it, as she continued. It could have been hours, or maybe Trixie just wished it could have gone on and on and on for hours, when Aquaria returned, her hair damp, and messy curls dancing around her face. 

"Wanna go first?" Shangela asked, and Trixie nodded. 

"Thanks." 

Trixie already had a towel over her shoulder and was shaking her hair loose when there was a knock on the door. If she had been _normal_ , she might have just let it pass, ignore it and tell them that she didn't hear it. But nothing in her life was normal, and Trixie assumed the worst. Rushing to the door, the slight bump from her ponytail still in her hair, she pulled it open. 

Shangela looked rather distressed, surprised, too. "Your little girlfriend is back for round two," Was her weak attempt to lighten the mood. 

"What? Who?" 

A delicate and slender hand wrapped itself around Shangela's shoulder, pushing the small woman aside with ease. 

"Well, that hurt my feeling," The voice, thick like honey, yet not as sweet, made Trixie narrow her eyes. She might have been a bit drunk when she met Violet, but she certainly remembered her. "Don't tell me you don't remember me." 

"I do," Trixie pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're the bitch that tried to enchant me." 

Violet clacked her tongue, shaking her head with an amused smile. Her hair was crazy straight, running down over her shoulders and ending right above her ribcage. "I thought you were nice. Well, before I found out you were a _hunter_." 

"We all have flaws, don't we?" Trixie clenched her jaw, narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come in unless we invited you in." 

"Myths," The vampire laughed, running her hand over her dress. The black fabric reached right under her knees, and as much as Trixie didn't want to be distracted by her beautiful body, she couldn't help but admire it anyway. "Besides, hotels are different. Fifty years ago, Sir Rodrick invited me to his place. Did you know the hotel is that old? Well, the building is. " 

"Didn't know people still asked to be called 'sir', fifty years ago," Trixie said through gritted teeth, and Violet smiled. 

"Does it matter?" She pulled at one of her gloves. "I came here for a reason, not to try and seduce you, no matter how pretty your face is."

Trixie scoffed, rolling her eyes as she leaned against the doorframe, she wasn't that tired anymore. "What do you want and why should we help you?" 

Violet trailed a finger over Trixie's arm, her nail poking her through the thin fabric of the glove. Trixie pulled her arm away. 

"Unfortunately, some stupid demon tried to attack me, and in the process, he hurt your witch friend. I only wanted to talk to you, since you're the cutest one." 

Trixie guessed it was Peppermint. From what she had heard, she was a powerful witch. "She's a great witch, I don't believe you." 

"I don't care if you decide to believe me or not. The demon took my... friend, some years ago. I know she's dead. All I'm asking is; kill the demon." 

"That's kind of our job." 

"And yet you haven't heard of it," Violet placed a finger to her cheek. "Weird." 

"Fine," She snapped. "You promise not to hurt our friend?" 

"Why, of course. Prove you killed that son of a bitch and she's all yours again." The words _son of a bitch_ sounded weird, rolling over Violet’s lips. 

The blonde gave Violet one nod, pulling her hair back in a ponytail. "Do you know where the demon is or do we have to find that out, too?" 

"The village to the South," She didn't miss a beat. "Don't ask me how, but it’s staying under a church, which is why I can not take care of it myself." 

Trixie brushed past Violet, the cold she radiated terrifying. "You can leave, now. Where can we find you?" 

"I'll find you," Violet stated. "Tomorrow. Midnight. Be here or your friend dies." Without another world, Violet turned around, smiling at the other two girls who were packing the weapons already. Of course she knew they were eavesdropping. 

When Violet let the door fall closed behind her, Trixie turned to the other hunters. “I’m guessing y’all heard what she said?” 

Aquaria tapped a fading mark on her neck. _Of course_. “So, how long is the drive?” 

“About forty minutes,” Shangela tapped her phone. “Google.” The girls seemed to be in a hurry, anxious and slightly panicky. Trixie hadn’t seen them like that before. 

With a heavy sigh, Trixie went to look for her shoes, her eyes nearly falling close. “I hope we have a pack of redbull,” She heaved. “Or I will simply sleep through getting murdered.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! You can follow me on tumblr if you'd like to talk to me or share your thoughts or whatever!   
> @tropicaldepressionkatya


	4. Chapter Four; First Day Of Summer In Octobe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Adore!”
> 
> So Adore really did exist, and she was… not what Trixie had expected. She had tattoos instead of runes, her hair was a dark blue hanging in messy waves around her face. What stood out most, probably, were her clothes. Ever since Trixie had woken up a few hours ago, it had been raining. Autumn was really setting in, so it was hard to imagine it being warm _anywhere_. Yet Adore was wearing shorts with fishnet tights under it. Her sweater was dark and tucked in her shorts. The text read _with my witches_ and a jean jacket was draped over her shoulders. She stood out amongst the other people in the diner. 
> 
> “Meow, bitch,” Adore smiled at Aquaria, who stormed towards her. Aquaria with her heels, was as tall as Adore. 
> 
> It was a funny scene, Trixie thought. Two girls hugging in the middle of a relatively empty diner. One dressed like she was going to a party, and the other as if she stepped out of some alternative band. 
> 
> “So,” Shangela cleared her throat. She had bags under her eyes, which took little away from the beauty that Trixie saw. “That’s Adore. Yes, she always dresses like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet Adore!  
> Those who are only here to see Katya fall in love, she arrives at chapter 7! It seems long, but the long 'intro' is pretty much needed for the plot to make sense!  
> Hope you enjoy!

When Trixie had finished her second redbull, she felt as if she was alive again. She didn’t have the feeling of falling asleep every two minutes anymore, and was able to form the word ‘sorry’ when Shangela made her and Aquaria make up. 

The ride took them thirty-five minutes, and Aquaria was more than happy to point out that Shangela had been _wrong_ when they drew runes on each other. 

Trixie would have thought it would have bothered her more, the runes. But it didn’t, not really. After everything she had been through, she wouldn’t even want to be able to wear them while she couldn’t save her friends with them. 

So, leaned against the Jeep, Trixie polished her gun, chewing on strawberry bubblegum to kill the taste of redbull. 

When the other women were finally ready, they walked through the street with pockets full of guns, knives, and swords. Trixie felt like they rattled with every step they took. 

The church was old, one of the big windows smashed, and the once colorful flowerbeds on each side of the door were brown and rotting away. However, it was still sacred ground, Trixie guessed. 

“I wonder how mister demon came in,” Aquaria wondered out loud, running a finger over her gun. “Or ma’am, of course.” 

“I once read that if the vessel was extremely religious, they can,” Shangela hummed, tucking her blue ring in a pocket. Last time she’d left it in the car. “Or its a trap.”

“Vampires,” Trixie huffed. “Do you really think Peppermint would be held by her?” 

“Nope,” Aquaria popped the p. “She’s way too smart and strong for that. Maybe she’s hurt, but even so, vampire girl can’t hurt her. Her blood would taste like… I don’t know, bad?” 

“Let’s just say that,” Shangela pushed the gate to the church open. “Ready for another fight?” 

There was no point in saying no. “Obviously.” Trixie followed Shangela, a hand on her weapon belt, the cold metal of the knives felt pleasant against her heated fingers. The adrenaline was already pumping through her veins; adrenaline from the fight yet to come, adrenaline from the kick she got out of _beating evil_.

The scene was incredibly silent; only the whistling of the wind through the leafless trees and the breathing of three girls broke the silence.

Trixie felt as if she was on another planet, away from everyone except the two other girls. She slipped the knives out of the pocket when they were only feet apart from the door. 

Shangela entered first, probably without thinking about it, since she pulled her gun _after_ she entered. Yet, the room was quiet. “Do you think she just wanted us gone?” Aquaria muttered, and Trixie felt her hot breath on her neck. 

“No, there’s a demon here,” Was all Trixie said. 

“How do you-“ 

“Let’s go to the basement,” Shangela whispered, already moving to the altar. The church was small, no crooks or large pillars. It was easy to scan the room. 

Behind the altar, there was a curtain that hid a door. It led to the tiniest room with an old fridge and a rusted sink. There was a trapdoor in one of the corners. That being open shouldn’t be too alarming, but since they were, in fact, looking for a demon, it was more than suspicious. 

Without words, Shangela descended into the darkness. Trixie was about to panic, pull the girl back up, when she saw that Aquaria was pointing a gun at the opening. When they heard the sound of Shangela’s boots hitting the ground, Aquaria nodded at Trixie, pointing at the hole when she didn’t seem to understand. 

“We can say one thing,” Aquaria mumbled when she climbed down as well. “This place definitely isn’t sacred anymore.” 

What made Aquaria say that without looking around, would remain a secret for Trixie. But Shangela looked at her as if she’d only noticed the girl now. “Yeah, also there’s fucking satanic shit on the ground.” 

Trixie reached for her flashlight, the light bright in the dark room. Trixie assumed the runes and symbols she didn’t understand were drawn in blood. When she looked further, she noticed the bones, the cracks I the concrete, and a woman. Well, it looked like it had once been a woman. 

“Oh wow,” Trixie breathed out, nearing the woman. She pressed her fingers against her neck, hoping to catch a heartbeat. “She’s dead.” 

“Yeah, I would have guessed judging by the fact that she’s missing the skin and flesh below her knees.” Shangela moved past the corpse and Trixie, who looked disgusted when she looked at her legs. 

“Guys,” Aquaria called. “I think we should… leave.” 

“What do you mean?” Trixie pushed herself back up, trying to ignore the strong smell. 

Aquaria was backing away from the wall she’d run upon. Trixie, even though she should have known better, lifted her flashlight, revealing the horrors that the basement held. 

“What the-“ If there was one thing Trixie never expected to see, it probably would be a demon pinned against the wall, runes drawn on it and around it. It looked like what demons did to humans. “Yeah, I mean at least the demon is dead.” 

Shangela joined them, then, frowning at the scene. “I’d call this suspicious-“ 

“You can tell us your conspiracy theory in the car, let’s get the fuck out of here.” Aquaria tugged on Trixie’s sleeve, stepping back with caution. “Whoever did this is strong, we need to leave _now_.” 

Trixie turned around, a hand pressed against Aquaria’s back. “You’re right, let’s go.” 

“Wait, bitch!” Shangela called. “Let’s take a picture for vampire lady.” Trixie was surprised, turning her head around. 

“Do you really think she didn’t know? I’m guessing this is a message.” 

“Even a pretty bitch like her can’t be immune for demon blood,” Shangela snapped a few pictures before moving back to the ladder. “If its a message, we need to figure out what it means.” 

“Can you hurry up, please?” Aquaria called, nervousness having seeped into her voice. Trixie climbed up, followed by Shangela. 

“Okay, see? We’re all fine, no need to get all worked up,” Shangela smiled with comfort in her eyes, squeezing her shoulder. “And we’re going to get Peppermint back.” 

“You sure?” Aquaria was a bit shaky in her legs, and Trixie realized how young she was. 

Trixie chimed in. “Yes, of course. She has to. The demon’s dead,” She smiled. “I think you’ll feel better once we’re in the car, far away from this place.” 

Nodding, Aquaria seemed to feel better. With a soft smile, she turned around, not letting go of Trixie’s wrist. Trixie hadn’t realized she’d reached for it. 

-

“Well,” Trixie sighed once they entered the hotel room. Light was already reaching through the windows. “If my sleeping schedule already wasn’t ran over by a train, it is now.” 

Aquaria snorted, shaking her head. “You’re literally the weakest hunter I’ve ever met.” 

“Excuse you?” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Remember how _amazing_ I was at the police station?” 

“Right, my bad,” Aquaria rolled her eyes, wanting to say more, but Shangela was first. 

“Don’t think about sleep, we’re gonna look for Peppermint.” 

“Violet said she’d find us-“ 

“I don’t care what she said,” Shangela threw her weapons on the table. “She’s a _vampire_ , we can’t trust her.” 

To Trixie, that made sense. She followed Shangela into the bedroom, wanting to at least change her shirt before she got dragged in into a vampire den. 

Lost in her thoughts, she bumped into Shangela, who had come to a sudden stop. “ _Peppermint?_ ” 

And there she was, looking exactly like she had before, just with a pink shirt and red lips this time. She was sitting on a bed, smiling at the women. “Oh my, I was so scared something bad happened! Violet asked me for help, I finished a few hours ago-“ 

“Wait, she didn’t kidnap you?” Trixie raised an eyebrow, Aquaria appearing behind them. 

“Peppermint!” 

“No, of course not. Do you really think a vampire like her could?” Peppermint chuckled, pulling Aquaria down on the bed with a smile. “Oh, Aquaria, have you been okay since I left?” 

She nodded, hugging the witch. “God, we were so worried.” 

“You don’t need to be,” The woman got up, smiling at the three of them. “I’m sorry I need to leave already, I’m sorry I didn’t get to really meet you, Trixie. I wanted to be sure you were okay. Raven called, it wasn’t urgent, but she asked me to come over.”

As if put under a spell, Aquaria nodded, hugging the woman once again. “I’m so happy you’re okay, Pep,” 

“Me too,” Shangela hugged her as well. Trixie felt disconnected, yet included. She thought she’d helped save the woman, and in a way, she had. Well, it was the thought that counted, in this case. “When we’re back in Boston we’re gonna party, alright?” 

Peppermint gave Trixie a wave, elegant and soft. “Hope to see you around.” 

Trixie waved with a weak smile, partly because she was tired and partly because her time with Aquaria and Shangela was running out and she probably wasn’t going to see Peppermint ever again. She thought she liked being alone, but she had simply forgotten what it was like to have people around her. 

“Oh, girl,” Shangela groaned. “I’m a professional, but this night was too long. I’ll shower in the morning.” 

Trixie smiled, kicking her jeans off and slipping under the covers of Shangela’s bed in a new shirt and panties. “Hope I don’t smell too bad.” 

“I’m too tired to even know what a nose is, bitch,” Shangela smiled with her eyes closed. “You should have given me one of those redbulls.” 

Aquaria shuffled into her bed, which was a single, sighing happily. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna keep talking,” She sounded as tired as Trixie felt. “How are you not tired?” 

“It’s not like you’ll be able to sleep no matter what we do,” Shangela shot back, smiling at Trixie. “Besides, you’re the one-“ 

“Shut up!” Aquaria groaned, and Trixie chuckled. 

Shangela had a lazy grin on her face, one that was soft and made her look young and vulnerable. Trixie’s eyes kept nearly slipping closed, but she couldn’t help but brush her fingers over Shangela’s face, tucking some dark hair behind her ear. “Your skin is really soft.” 

The room was silent, every breath felt like something disturbing, until Aquaria began snoring softly. The girls who were still awake smiled, Shangela chuckling softly. 

When Shangela didn’t say anything, Trixie began to wonder once again. “What’s up with Aquaria? Was tonight connected to… you know.” 

“Can’t talk about it,” Shangela mumbled, both feeling opener now that sleep was working its way into their brains. 

"Why not?" Trixie whispered, barely stopping a yawn. "I'm only asking because I care, you know." 

"Maybe you care too much," Shangela frowned. "You did help me without knowing me. You checked up on me." 

Trixie's lips curled up into a smile. If she hadn't been incredibly tired, she would have shaken her head. No matter how tired she was, though, sleep was out of the question, at least for a few minutes. She wanted to express why, how, and... everything. The sheer desperation of making herself clear was probably readable on her face. "I mean," She stopped herself, frowning to herself, more than at Shangela. "I'm a caring person, I guess. I-" 

"Have you lost people?" It might have been a rude thing to ask, but it was what Trixie had wanted to explain, yet didn't know how to. She had been at lost for words, and Shangela had given them to her.

"Yeah,"

Shangela didn't say anything, nothing but Aquaria's soft snoring disturbing the silence, but Trixie felt like she could hear what Shangela's look was trying to tell her. "My best friend. I can't help but blame myself, you know? In a lot of ways, it was my fault." 

"You shouldn't say that." Under the covers, Shangela reached for Trixie's hand. She hadn't noticed her hands were cold until Shangela's hot ones brushed hers. 

"But it's the truth," With a weak smile, Trixie tried to seem less pathetic. "I was the one who suggested we should check out a building each. Just because I wanted to go to this fancy party. I was young, and stupid, and lost my best friend. I lost everything that night. Kim was everything I had left, and now I have nothing and-" 

Trixie was getting worked up, her breathing hitching, eyes watering as words just rolled over her lips, the sleep breaking the wall down. 

"Hey, hey," Shangela ran her hand up and down Trixie's arm, her smile comforting, the same way she had smiled at Aquaria. "It's alright, okay? You don't have to worry about anything, it's in the past," She seemed to weight the next words carefully, trying to put her finger on where the boundary was. Trixie wasn't sure where the boundary was. "People like us are often lonely, but we don’t have to be. We… we’re worthy of love, especially when you risk _everything_ , every day. But I’ve found you, and you’ve found me. _Us_. It will never be the same as with Kim, but we can make it great, make something worth fighting for." 

Shangela moved in the bed, the bed that didn't squeak with every breath, the bed that was soft and warm and _full_. When Shangela kissed Trixie's forehead, she felt light as a feather, the crushing weight of Kim being lifted off her shoulders ever so slightly. _Talking was good_.

Trixie didn't know if Shangela just said what she said because Trixie was sad, or because she felt like she had to. Maybe she said it because she felt sorry, or because sleep had stripped away whatever held back words. But Trixie didn't really care. She felt better, she felt light and _comforted_. So she chose to believe it, believe everything Shangela said. Trixie knew she’d sleep better than she had in weeks.

-

To Trixie's surprise, Aquaria was the first one to wake up. Trixie slept through the singing in the shower, but was unable to ignore the hairdryer. Checking the clock, it was around noon, and Trixie remembered that Adore would arrive that day. Curious as she was about the mysterious girl, she couldn't go back to sleep. Her sleeping schedule was in the need of help. 

But getting up was out of the question, Shangela was laying close against her, the heat of the smaller girl's body warming her up to a comfortable and sleepy temperature. Trixie missed sleeping with someone. 

Raking her fingers through Shangela's dark hair, careful not to pull through the knots, she smiled. She felt calm, not rushed or lonely. It was a little too perfect to be true. 

To Trixie's surprise, Aquaria was the first one to wake up. Trixie slept through the singing in the shower, but was unable to ignore the hairdryer. Checking the clock, it was around noon, and Trixie remembered that Adore would arrive that day. Curious as she was about the mysterious girl, she couldn't go back to sleep. Her sleeping schedule was in the need of help, so it seemed. 

But getting up was out of the question, Shangela was laying close against her, the heat of the smaller girl's body warming her up to a comfortable and sleepy temperature. Trixie missed sleeping with someone. 

Raking her fingers through Shangela's dark hair, careful not to pull through the knots, she smiled. She felt calm, not rushed or lonely. It was a little too perfect to be true.

With a rather loud and unthoughtful hum, Aquaria pushed the door open, grinning widely at Trixie. "Come on, lovebirds, Adore is coming today." 

Trixie felt too good to complain about how she needed to be quiet the night before, yet Aquaria was a grinning, loud mess in the morning. 

"How are you not tired?" Trixie pushed herself up, careful, since Shangela was still sleeping undisturbed. "And keep your voice down, Shangela is still sleeping." She added, gently pressing the blanket back to where it was. 

"Since when are you so caring?" Aquaria playfully rolled her eyes, moving to the closet. "Don't tell me you're falling in love." 

"I just like the two of you," Trixie shrugged. "I haven't hung out with people in ages." 

Aquaria glanced back at Trixie, who was looking for her towel and shampoo. She didn't answer. 

"I'm gonna take a shower, okay?" 

The speed at which the water heated up was like magic. Her motels were always shitty in different ways, but horrible showers was a running theme. The tiles were still white, too. 

She was still tired but felt... relieved, warm and comfortable. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt comfortable around people. Kim. Trixie knew she had never really processed the death of her friend, she had never tried to give it a place. Shoving it far away was a crappy coping mechanism, apparently. 

She had never talked about it, except for that one time she called her mom in tears, which ended in yelling. And Shangela. Sometimes, Trixie forgot she had emotional needs, too. Needs that went further than flirting, making small talk and having sex in soft beds. And maybe she finally had found a place where she could have that. She hoped so, she really did. 

"Are you almost done?" Trixie yelped when she saw Shangela standing in the doorway. "I need a shower too, girl." 

"I'm-" Trixie tried to cover her naked body with her hands. "I'm naked?" 

"I can see that," Shangela yawned, taking a sip from her mug. "C'mon, I've seen plenty of naked women before. Hurry up, Adore wants to meet us for lunch." 

Trixie didn't doubt that Shangela was a sweet and amazing woman, but apparently, privacy was something that she didn't know of. 

-

Swirling the melting ice cubes around in her coke, Trixie wondered if Adore was actually going to come. She had made excuses so often, Trixie began to doubt she even existed. Yet, she didn’t want to give up. Not when Aquaria and Shangela acted as if it was perfectly normal. 

“I wanna ask something,” Trixie shrugged the feeling off, focussing on Aquaria’s arm. “How the fuck do your runes work?” 

“Oh,” Aquaria followed Trixie’s gaze. “I don’t know. Something in our blood? It only fixes mundane wounds, though. I needed like 3 runes for my arm.” 

Trixie hummed, slightly annoyed with how _easy_ she had healed. If Trixie would have broken her arm, she’d be in a cast for at least 4 weeks. 

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Shangela grinned. “You asked.” 

If Aquaria hadn’t jumped up with a squeal, Trixie would have said something bitchy or at least shot something back. 

“Adore!”

So Adore really did exist, and she was… not what Trixie had expected. She had tattoos instead of runes, her hair was a dark blue hanging in messy waves around her face. What stood out most, probably, were her clothes. Ever since Trixie had woken up a few hours ago, it had been raining. Autumn was really setting in, so it was hard to imagine it being warm _anywhere_. Yet Adore was wearing shorts with fishnet tights under it. Her sweater was dark and tucked in her shorts. The text read _with my witches_ and a jean jacket was draped over her shoulders. She stood out amongst the other people in the diner. 

“Meow, bitch,” Adore smiled at Aquaria, who stormed towards her. Aquaria with her heels, was as tall as Adore. 

It was a funny scene, Trixie thought. Two girls hugging in the middle of a relatively empty diner. One dressed like she was going to a party, and the other as if she stepped out of some alternative band. 

“So,” Shangela cleared her throat. She had bags under her eyes, which took little away from the beauty that Trixie saw. “That’s Adore. Yes, she always dresses like that.” 

The two girls strudded back to the table, arms linked as Aquaria was saying something. Trixie smiled at Shangela. 

“Shangie!” Adore laughed, she had a deep, throaty laugh full of personality. 

“Told you not to call me that,” Even though her words were meant to sound annoyed, Shangela couldn’t stop herself from smiling. 

“Trixie!” Adore said as if they had known each other for years. “I’ve heard so much about you,” She slipped into the booth. “Well, not really, but enough to know that you’re fucking cool!” 

“I’m-“ Trixie didn’t really know what to say for a moment, so she went with the most boring, cliche answer she could imagine. “All good things, I hope?” 

“Yeah bitch,” Adore laughed, reaching for Aquaria’s glass and taking a sip. “We’re gonna have so much fun!” 

“Killing demons isn’t necessarily-“ 

“Oh, don’t start,” Adore pulled a face, then reaching for the menu. She spoke while flipping through to the dessert section. “We’re gonna party so fucking hard, you won’t be able to see for two days.” 

Trixie knew she was growing old when she couldn’t detect a glint of humor or sarcasm in Adore’s voice. Maybe she was just trying to be cool, maybe she was just… a partygirl. “Girl, I’m lucky if I even see my bed, now you’re going to take me away from it?” 

Adore laughed, as did Aquaria. “Oh,” Shangela quipped in. “She will. She will keep you up three fucking nights.” 

“How about we start with one?” 

“Party,” Adore smiled, placing the menu back down. “Are we gonna order or what? I’m _starving_ , fuck.” 

A waitress in a pink dress with bright red hair took their orders, and Shangela, Aquaria and Adore were chatting about things Trixie did not understand. 

“Manila’s stitches broke, she was in the hospital for a couple of days.” 

“Phi Phi is going on _dates_ , I’ve never seen her happier.” 

“Shangela almost died, but Peppermint fixed her up.” 

Trixie didn’t feel the need to contribute to the conversation. It was all over the place, and nothing the girls said made sense to her, anyway. 

“So Trixie,” Adore said through a mouthful of food. “Where are your friends?” 

“What friends?” Trixie said without missing a beat, partly joking, partly true. “I’m kidding.” She said after the stunned faces. “Dead, actually.” It was meant to be funny, but at the same time, it didn’t really seem to surprise Adore. 

“That’s… not better.” Adore mumbled with a frown. “Who are you hunting with, then?” 

“All on my own,” Trixie shrugged. “It’s not like I mind, though.” 

“Oh my god, girl!” Adore gasped, dropping her fork on the plate. “How- what?” 

Trixie smiled weakly, rolling her eyes. "Unlike y'all," Trixie began, swinging her fork around. "I don't need to live in the constant fear of losing people I care about." 

"Isn't that part of our life, though?" Aquaria softly said. Shangela didn't say anything, looking at her plate, a hand buried in her hair. "Besides, death doesn't have to be permanent." 

"I'd rather die three times than become a vampire, though," Trixie guessed that's what the girl had hinted to. "I don't want to become what I've been murdering most part of my life." 

It seemed simple enough, just two people who didn't share the same view on something so _irrelevant_ that Trixie didn't even bother to care. But Aquaria thought different about that. "Isn't living a life longer than forty fucking five better? No matter under what circumstances?" 

"Aquaria-" Shangela whispered, but Trixie wouldn't let her have the last word. Not a _chance_. She could be the queen of petty fights, if she wanted to. 

"No, of course not," Trixie noticed she began talking louder, yet couldn't stop the increasing volume. "I wouldn't want to drink fucking blood, I wouldn't want to outlive people I care about, I-" It was something Trixie had thought about, what she’d do if she got the choice. However, she didn’t like the idea of becoming her own enemy. 

"As far as I heard," Aquaria talked over Trixie. "You don't have that many." 

Trixie couldn't believe Aquaria had _actually said that_ , she couldn't believe Aquaria had said _that_ to her face. Her mouth fell open, not because she didn't have a witty or funny answer, but because she was _hurt_ , because Aquaria was _right_ , and she, too, believed that would never change. 

Overreacting, in Trixie's opinion did not exist. She shook her head, throwing her napkin on the table, pushing past Adore in the booth, the girl trying to grab her hand with a weak 'Trixie', but she just shook her head. 

"No," She didn't sound angry at all, and Aquaria didn't look at her, she was just biting her lip, pulling at the skin around her nails. Without a word, Trixie stomped to the door. 

"Well done, you bitch," She heard Shangela say, sounding angry. It was good to know someone cared enough to fight the battles she was too afraid to face. 

Trixie let the door fall close behind her, the faint sound of the bell feeling definite. 

She was just a few feet away from her car when she heard a familiar voice. "Trix, please wait," Debating if she should, she decided that Shangela hadn't done anything, in fact, she had defended her. Yet, the annoyed, possibly harsh tone in her voice was something Trixie had no control over. 

" _What?_ " 

"Aquaria was way out line, I want you to know that," Shangela took a few steps closer. Trixie glanced over Shangela's shoulder, seeing Adore and Aquaria talk about something. "I'm not saying you should come back with me, but normally she isn't... that conformational." 

Trixie crossed her arms. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She raised an eyebrow. "Because it _doesn't_ , especially since she's right." 

"She's not," Shangela said. "You have _us_ now, we're friends, and I hope we'll be _family_ one day," She took another step closer, her eyes kind, warm, and oh, so comforting. Trixie could see her as a teacher. "Family fights sometimes, you know." 

With a smile, Trixie nodded. She knew all about that. "Just so you know, I'm not going back in." 

"Fine by me," Shangela shrugged. "You have the Jeep, we can go wherever you wanna go." 

She couldn't stop her smile from growing. Shangela wanted to leave with her. They'd only known each other for about a week, but it felt longer, it felt good. Trixie wondered if it was just because she had isolated herself from _connection_ , or because Shangela was simply amazing. In the end, it didn't matter, because she didn't feel alone, she felt like she had a _friend_ , maybe even a _sister_. So, she took the keys out of her pocket. "The park?" 

-

Hours had passed when Shangela and Trixie reached the hotel, laughs shared between them, a bottle of white wine, too. The sun was setting, which wasn’t a surprise. It was dark before they ate dinner, winter coming closer. 

“So you’ve decided to come back,” Was the first thing Aquaria said after they closed the door. The humor and amusement in her voice was almost upsetting, as if she hadn’t hurt her feelings at all. 

Shangela had said that Aquaria would probably pretend like nothing had happened, and it was Trixie’s choice to bring it up. She hadn’t made up her mind about that yet, so she let Shangela speak. 

“Yeah, we have work to do, don’t we?” She moved to the bedroom, the hint of loud cackles and soft giggles still on her face. “Trix? You comin’?” 

Adore waved from the couch, not looking at the tall and short woman stepping in the bedroom. “Where’s she staying?” Trixie asked when Shangela kicked the door close. 

“What?” 

“Adore,” Trixie pulled her suitcase from under the bed, for once deciding to wear black jeans and a red sweater. “There’s no room here.” 

“She takes the couch, we’ll be gone in like, two days,” Shangela shrugged, flicking her long hair back as she skipped through the drawer of weapons. Trixie took her shirt off without caring about Shangela. She had seen her naked anyways. 

It didn’t seem fair, since Trixie was the new one, since Trixie wasn’t a part of their family. “You know, I can-” 

“You’re not taking the couch,” Shangela didn’t even turn to look at her. She didn’t have to, because Trixie didn’t fight it. She wouldn’t press on it. 

Trixie pulled the sweater over her head and stopped to watch Shangela arm up. From where she was standing, she saw the outlines of her muscles. She was strong, Trixie noted. Biting her lip, she turned away, putting on the pants. 

She was glad Shangela hadn’t noticed, and continued humming a tune. Trixie _guessed_ it was one of the Beyoncé songs she’d sung in the Jeep when the radio had stopped working. The moment of short piece was disturbed by Aquaria running in with a phone that’d been dropped too many times. Not hers. 

“Guys, Raven sent the cutest video of Daisy, look!” She exclaimed, and Shangela was with her in a mere second. 

Even though Aquaria had said ‘guys’, Trixie felt like she had nothing to do with whoever Daisy was. She didn’t know her, had only heard about Raven in the passing. “C’mon,” Shangela waved Trixie over. Guess she had to go. 

A little girl with dark hair and full lips was dancing to a children's song, and Trixie had to admit it was _adorable_. The way she smiled at the camera, her hands reaching up to be lifted by whoever was filming and the loud laugh coming from someone not shown. “Raven’s daughter, she’ll turn six in a few months.” 

“She’s adorable,” Trixie smiled as Aquaria pulled the phone away. Adore’s, Trixie guessed. 

“Tell me about it,” Aquaria sighed. “Almost ready?” 

“Yeah, can you just help me draw some runes? Speed, something with jumping, stamina.” Shangela took off her shirt, exposing her toned stomach, which shouldn’t have been such a surprise. 

“If you’re getting naked, I’m out.” With a _shy_ smile, Trixie left. She didn’t think of herself as shy, not even in uncomfortable situations, but she decided to see it in the best way possible. 

“Do you watch singing shows?” Adore asked, startling Trixie, who approached the couch, sitting next to the blue-haired girl who was munching on chips. 

“Don’t watch a lot of TV,” Trixie breathed out, her fingers cold. She tucked them under her tights to warm them up. “Why?” 

“I’m a singer,” Adore stated. “I was late because I had to finish the last song. Never thought it was possible, being some sort of hunter or what not.” 

Trixie didn’t know what to say, could only nod as she watched a boy sing off-key. “I like singing, too,” Trixie chose to say, not as much of a story behind it. “Don’t do it too often, though. Don’t have a reason to.” 

For the first time since Trixie had entered the hotel, she looked at her. “We should sing a motherfucking duet,” She grinned. “It’d be the _shit_.” 

“Maybe when we’re gonna party,” Trixie lazily smiled at the screen, not being able to hear the critiques. The boy was smiling, though. She guessed he got through to the next round. “Unless you’ve chickened out.” 

“Fuck no,” Adore laughed, offering some chips to Trixie. “You wish, though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can follow me on tumblr, if you want to!  
> @tropicaldepressionkatya


	5. Forest Of The Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her gun was laying where the box had been, but she didn’t want to get it while she had a perfect set of knives on her hands. 
> 
> The purple light was reflected on the metal when she breathed in, the short moment of complete focus necessary. 
> 
> Adore rushed towards Trixie, as far away from the demon as possible, yet near the other girls. However, it followed. 
> 
> Trixie threw the knife. It hit the demon in the chest, but an iron knife wasn’t enough. It came closer, and Trixie threw again, pushing Adore behind her. It’s shoulder. 
> 
> “Fuck,” Trixie hissed, very aware of her uneven breathing, of how the world seemed to disappear, only the demon, herself, and Adore existing. Her knives wouldn’t do, but she’d never reach the gun before the demon reached her or Adore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah i vanished for awhile but ya know, it's my gal depression's fault, blame the bitch. hop you enjoy!

When Trixie parked the car, Adore had groaned, thrown her head back and complained. “Can’t we go further? I can’t carry that shit for so long.” 

“You don’t have to,” Shangela opened the door, almost tripping on a tree root. “You can carry some of my weapons, I’ll carry the iron.” 

“Great, who will carry the dirt?” Trixie didn’t see Aquaria carrying it. 

Shuffling through the weapons in her trunk, Trixie hummed. “Fine, I’ll carry it.” 

Adore mumbled ‘party’ and handed her the large box. It was heavier than Trixie had thought. Meanwhile, Aquaria picked up a couple of shovels that looked too heavy to be easy to handle, let alone carry, but she seemed fine. If anyone had seen them, armed, with suspicious items going into the woods, she wasn’t sure if they’d pretend to see nothing or call the cops. The looked fishy, to say at least. 

The group went into the forest with Adore handling a flashlight and softly singing a song. Trixie couldn’t make out the words, only heard the soft lull of her voice and the melodic sounds. She had an amazing voice. It broke the silence, too. It was nice, not walking in complete silence. It felt lighter, as if they weren’t about to do something crazy and stupid. 

The box was heavy, but Trixie wouldn’t stop or complain. She saw Shangela struggling with the iron as well, the four poles soon becoming too heavy. Trixie slowed down until she was next to Shangela, both girls a little bit out of breath. “Wanna take a break?” 

“Nope,” Shangela mumbled, fighting against a slipping pole. 

“You can ask Aquaria to carry them,” She knew very well Shangela wouldn’t do that, too proud to give up. She was easy to predict, in some aspects. 

“I’m good,” She grunted, the pole finally slipping, falling on the ground with a surprisingly loud bang. She quickly picked it up again. “We’re almost there anyway.” 

They’d fallen behind the group, who didn’t seem to notice that they weren’t accompanied by the other two. Shangela picked up the pace. 

They both were out of breath pretty soon, which was no surprise, since they needed to catch up on lightly packed girls. 

Luckily, Shangela was right. By the time they had caught up with Adore and Aquaria, they’d reached the tree. The sun had fully set, giving the tree a questionable glow. You wouldn’t have been able to guess the tree had been large and beautiful. All that was left was a burnt piece of trunk and ashes. The purple glow made it obvious it was _their_ tree. 

For a moment, Trixie wondered why only _that_ tree had been affected. However, she quickly shrugged it off as another supernatural thing. 

“You can put that shit like,” Adore scanner the area. Trixie couldn’t keep her eyes of the tree, which was more of a portal now. “There.” She pointed not too far away from the tree, close to the bush Trixie had been hiding in. 

With more force that was probably good, Trixie dropped the box, helping Shangela place the poles down _quietly_. Making too much noise felt unnatural, as if they’d summon the spirits and demons, tell them they had no clue they were coming. 

October was always a scary month; the borders between every world slimmer, easier to touch and cross. Trixie was already getting nervous about Halloween, when the lines were basically running even and there was more evil on the streets than drunk teenagers. 

But she shrugged it off when Shangela smiled thankfully at her; comforting and warm, and she knew they’d be okay. 

“C’mon, we’ve got a lot of work to do!” Aquaria called, handing the shovels out. There were only three. 

“Adore’s not going to help?” Trixie pushed the tip into the ground, pushing it deeper in with her foot, yet not digging. She’d handles shovels before for multiple reasons. 

“She’s our tech guy,” Shangela shrugged. “Little muscles, but a big brain.” Trixie hadn’t noticed _anything_ of her big brain. She talked and carried herself like an airhead, but the way she was huddled over the box, doing some vague shit, Trixie wondered if she might actually be _smart_. 

“Where do we need to dig?” Aquaria broke the conversation, yelling at Adore. The girl jumped up, her hair bouncing around, and with a smile so bright it seemed to light up the entire forest. 

“Trixie, you can dig there,” She nodded, counting her steps, muttering a math formula which she seemed to solve in a matter of minutes. “Shangela here, and Aquaria there.” 

Guessing the poles would need to fit in, Trixie dug deep, rather than broad. While doing so, Adore struggled to get the box to the tree, her hair getting stuck twice on the ten feet distance. It was almost comical, if their work hadn’t been so important. Every minute spent felt like hours, they took too long to close the portal. It had been open for a week, the rate of criminality would, without a doubt, go up during the following days. 

However, Trixie had expected the presence of the iron poles with runes would have been enough to keep the demons out, to stop them from appearing. She couldn’t blame herself for being wrong, she’d never worked with anything like that, she’d never even drawn a _rune_. 

The purple shine disappeared, just for a moment, one long blink of the eye and it would have been missed, one careless moment, and it would have slipped and remained unnoticed. But with three trained woman and one… other woman, it was hard to miss the flicker. Even harder to miss the hideous creature that suddenly was just… there.

It’s dark claws and pale skin, if that was the right word to use, looked like it had been been on some ancient torture device for a couple of years. 

Trixie rarely saw demons in their natural state, mostly because when they weren’t in vessels, they were _smoke_. 

Before reacting, Trixie’s mouth fell open. She had expected the night to be dirty, not dangerous. Adore screamed, bringing Trixie back to reality. 

Shangela already had her shovel ready as weapon, while Aquaria’s manchette was softly glowing in her hand. Trixie let her hand fall against her side, rushing to get the stupid knives out. She wished she’d been better prepared for a fight. 

Her gun was laying where the box had been, but she didn’t want to get it while she had a perfect set of knives on her hands. 

The purple light was reflected on the metal when she breathed in, the short moment of complete focus necessary. 

Adore rushed towards Trixie, as far away from the demon as possible, yet near the other girls. However, it followed. 

Trixie threw the knife. It hit the demon in the chest, but an iron knife wasn’t enough. It came closer, and Trixie threw again, pushing Adore behind her. It’s shoulder. 

“Fuck,” Trixie hissed, very aware of her uneven breathing, of how the world seemed to disappear, only the demon, herself, and Adore existing. Her knives wouldn’t do, but she’d never reach the gun before the demon reached her or Adore. 

Turned out she didn’t have to. Shangela jumped on the demon’s back, the stick of the shovel pressed against its throat. “The gun!” She hissed, using her and the demon’s weight to pull it back. 

Trixie spun around, barely missing the appearance of a smaller demon. She pushed Adore in front of her, both women running and tripping the few feet it took to get to the weapons. 

Trixie picked up a random gun, pushing it in Adore’s hands and two for herself. She cocked one of them, getting up, moving back to the demons. She saw Aquaria stabbing her manchette in one of the demon’s hearts, blood spraying out. Shangela lifted the shovel and rolled away just in time to not be squished by a giant body. She dragged the manchette lower, cutting its stomach open. 

The other demon was already in a fight with Shangela, and Trixie couldn’t shoot. Shangela was too close and the risk of hitting her - even with salt rock bullets - was too much. 

Moving closer, she realized they were _really unlucky_ when two more demons appeared. Of fucking course. 

One jumped at Shangela, who was already in a fight. It was an all or nothing moment, but Trixie took the shot, terrified of the second demon hurting Shangela. The demon barely missed the brunette. She sprinted closer, reaching for a knife as she did. 

Aquaria stabbed Shangela’s demon, kicking it’s body away before turning around, kicking the other demon in the stomach. Her high heel duh in its belly, and Shangela smacked it with her shovel. Aquaria’s heel was glowing just like her manchette had, and Trixie understood the choice. 

While they were doing great, Trixie thought they were standing way too close to the demon tree. “Adore!” Trixie called, hurrying to one of the poles. “Come help me.” 

The woman, who was possibly more unlucky than Trixie, Aquaria, and Shangela, moved closer, obviously scared, but determined. “If we get these in, we should be good, right?” 

Adore nodded, a look of sheer panic on her face when she realized they’d have to split up. “Ever shot a gun?” 

“Yeah,” Was all Adore could choke out. 

“Great,” Trixie smiled. “Scream and shoot, okay?” 

Adore answered the smile, cocking the gun with shaking fingers. “Party.” And Trixie was off. 

The pole wasn’t too heavy, but the holes weren’t deep enough. She pushed, and pushed, and pushed with all her strength, thinking that it’d have to do before moving to the next one. She didn’t have any time to waste. It’d only take the demons a couple of moments before they’d find interest in her. That is, if there wouldn’t appear any new ones. 

From the corner of her eye, she saw the demon falling and not moving after, and for a moment danger seemed to have passed. However, nothing was sure. 

Dirt was clinging to her sweater, sweat dripping on her back. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and she could feel her bruises burning uncomfortably. 

“Are we good?” Aquaria licked her lips, looking around. 

“Think so,” Shangela was least out of breath and had done the most. For once, Trixie was grateful for the runes. 

Shangela’s face was dirty, and blood was dripping over her cheek, but in no way was it as bad as Aquaria. The demon blood had burned at her neck, and there were a few holes in her pants. The leather jacket had stopped most from going through the top, but she looked rough. 

“Let’s get this over with.” Shangela kneeled next to the box, and Trixie continued pushing the pole in. 

She was ready to take a break when she saw the portal flash again. Her heart stopped beating for a second. Shangela hadn’t noticed. She was sitting with her back to the portal. Aquaria was fetching a shovel, and Adore was basically in shock. So all Trixie could do was yell ‘Shangela!’ and leap those few feet, pushing her out of the way.

She felt the girl under her, she felt the claw in her ankle, and she felt the branches scraped her arms and face. 

As soon as she hit the floor, she rolled off Shangela, gun in her shaking hands, and without thinking, she shot. She shot the demon in its head. An explosion of burning blood gushed down, the droplets hitting Trixie in the face, neck, and hands, mostly. She hissed, pushing the demon body off her legs with her unharmed leg. 

“Wow,” Shangela whispered next to her, taking a deep breath before getting up. She extended a hand, which Trixie was thankful for and pulled her up. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Trixie couldn’t wait until they were at the hotel and she could shower and sleep, though. “You good?” 

Shangela nodded, and a slightly awkward and short moment passed. “Nice,” Aquaria said with a smile. “You should go sit, Trixie. I don’t think that ankle is gonna hold you for a long time.” 

Everything was spinning with pain, adrenaline, and relief. Adore had put the last pole in, and all they needed to do was put some fucking dirt on the ground. They could do that without Trixie. 

So, she limped to one of the trees a few feet away, sliding down against it. It seemed as if hours had passed, even though that was unrealistic. She knew not more than half an hour could have passed, but it felt so long. 

Her whole leg was throbbing, and the few burn on her face were stinging. When her breathing evened out a little bit, Trixie leaned forwards, lifting her pants to look at the wound. It was smaller than it felt, not too deep, either. One of the creams she had left should help. 

“Doesn’t look too bad,” Shangela said softly, crouching next to her. Trixie felt as exhausted as Shangela looked. “I… thank you.” 

“We’re friends, right?” Trixie cleaned one of her knives by wiping it over the grass. “I don’t want to lose my future family already.” 

Shangela was about to say something, do something. She was close, her finger running through Trixie’s curls, picking out leaves and sticks while looking at her face. Trixie’s breath hitched. So close, yet so distant. Seconds lasted hours, yet hours wouldn’t be long enough. 

Metal against metal and the clearing of one’s throat brought them both back. Trixie's head snapped to the ground, her used knives displayed as a dirty mess. “All done, Adore is pretty in shock, we’re going.” 

Aquaria sounded cold, and Trixie blamed the fight, even though it could have been anything. Shangela helped Trixie back on her feet, squeezing Aquaria’s shoulder while passing. 

“I’m literally starving,” Adore complained, carrying the now empty box. “Can we go to a diner or something?” 

“Are you not seeing how we look?” Aquaria chuckled, shaking her head. “They’d arrest us.” 

“Not if we pay!” Adore argued. “It’s like four in the morning, no one will be there.” 

It was not four in the morning. It was hardly midnight, but by the time they would have reached the diner, it would be well past one. “I’m down,” Trixie was still limping, her wounds stinging more every untreated moment. “I could use some lasagna.” 

“A bitch who understands,” Adore slapped Trixie’s back, grinning from ear to ear and not catching Trixie’s groan or face of discomfort. Adore skipped back over to Aquaria, who was carrying the shovels and first in line. 

Shangela looked over at Trixie, who was beginning to fall behind, as much as she tried not to. She looked worried combined with something she didn’t understand. Maybe she finally realized how fucked up Trixie felt. 

“I could eat some chicken nuggets.” 

“You’re all disgusting,” Aquaria rolled her eyes, huffing. “But three against one, democracy I suppose.” 

-

To Trixie’s surprise, there were four people at the diner, a man in a suit, one sad looking teenager and a couple chugging redbull as if their life depended on it. 

Adore dragged them to a booth, reaching for the menu, even though she had been talking about what she wanted to order the whole ride. 

“Okay, I’m gonna get the fucking burger,” Adore threw her menu at Trixie, who just ordered a piece of pie. 

The waitress barely seemed to notice how fucked up they looked. When she returned with their drinks, she offered to get something for the burns, though. 

Trixie was relieved, because the fight had made her tired, and it looked like the night was finally ending. She couldn’t _wait_ to get in Shangela’s bed, to feel warm again. 

However, Trixie should have known that the night only ended when she was actually laying in bed, knocked out. She’d barely paid attention to any of the guests, but when the waitress brought them their food, she looked worried. 

“You good?” Aquaria asked after she nearly tripped over seemingly nothing. She glanced at the man in the suit or the teenager before shaking her head. 

“I think we’re in danger.” And she walked back to the counter. 

Without thinking, Trixie reached for the knives that were still around her waist, handing them out under the table. 

“Adore, if it gets out of hand, go under the table.” Shangela whispered, pretending to take a bite of her food. 

“No,” She hissed back. “I wanna help.” 

“You’re not helping us by dying, we don’t know what we’re up against,” Aquaria was scanning all the guests, and Trixie regretted sitting with her back to them. “The woman is looking really suspicious.” 

Trixie didn’t look. She couldn’t and knew that, but the temptation was big. “Well, I say act cool until whoever it is, acts up. Everyone has weapons?” 

Adore nodded, handing something to Aquaria, who was closest to her. “Three bullets left.” 

Waiting was very unlike Trixie. Just the slight possibility that there was something dangerous in the room made her tense and she could already feel herself beginning to squirm, unable to keep still. 

Shangela, who seemed to notice, sneaked a hand on her thigh, giving it a light and comforting squeeze without saying anything. Trixie released a breath. 

They ate with a nervous twinge in their muscles, chewing was uncomfortable, and they felt their hearts beat in their throats, feeling too full to eat. The anticipation had stilled their hunger. 

The waitress glanced a few times back at them, and Aquaria waved her over. “Can you tell us what’s going on? We can help.” She flashed her knife, pretending to reach for money. No one was really watching them closely, but with demons, everything was uncertain. 

The waitress looked on the verge of tears, her breathing uneven. “The boy,” She whispered, her hands shaking as she reached for an empty glass, just to give herself _something_ to do. “He has a gun.” 

The woman walked away, the two glasses she’d collected clicking against each other in her shaky hands. “I’m gonna go,” 

“Are you crazy? He could be a demon,” Adore quickly said. “You’ve always told me to not face unnecessary danger, especially not when I’m alone. Don’t be a hypocrite, bitch.” 

“I’m not alone,” Aquaria shrugged. “I’m trained, you’re all here, anyway. I’m not threatening, just hot,” 

“Let me go,” Shangela countered, reaching for the blonde. “Give me the gun and let me go.” 

“No way,” Aquaria shook her head, tucking the gun deeper away. “You’re like, old, I’m just hot and young. Boys can’t resist.” No matter who disagreed, Aquaria got up, swaying her hips as she moved towards the young boy. 

After a quick glance, Trixie knew she couldn’t look anymore. Shangela, however, didn’t care and was staring at her friend, who was talking to the boy. 

“This isn’t gonna go well,” Her fingers were twitching in her lap. Trixie reached for Shangela’s hand like Shangela has done to her thigh. Giving it a gentle squeeze, she released her lip from between her teeth, scraping every piece of courage together and putting it into her smile, into her words. 

“She’ll be okay,” It was weak, her choice of words, but Trixie believed them. She couldn’t bring herself to think about the _what if’s_. 

Shangela turned back towards the table, her hand cold in Trixie’s. Seconds seemed to last for hours, every breath quiet as they waited for _any_ sign from Aquaria. 

“Oh, fuck me,” Adore whispered under her breath. Trixie and Shangela’s head both snapped towards their friend. 

Aquaria was walking towards their table again, and Shangela released a shaky breath, obviously relieved. “Yeah, so he’s just a regular human with a gun.” 

Immediately, Shangela fully relaxed. “Oh, this’ll be like taking candy from a kid, then.” 

“He’s like eighteen,” Aquaria shrugged, drinking what was left of her drink. “It’ll literally be taking something from a child.” 

“Aren’t you like, fucking nineteen?” Adore saw the humor in it all, laughing shortly. He was only human, after all. 

“Yeah, which is one year older,” Aquaria placed her glass back down. “Are we gonna take the gun or call the police?” 

“He’ll shoot before they arrive,” Trixie said. “He’d be stupid if he didn’t.” 

“Sure,” Aquaria rolled her eyes. “Let’s do it, then.” 

With a laid back attitude that didn’t seem like Aquaria at all, she got up and moved back to the table. Adore stayed behind, but Trixie and Shangela followed her. 

“I think you have something you shouldn’t have,” Aquaria’s voice was cold, and Shangela reaches for her arm. 

“Aquaria, breathe. Fight her.” 

Trixie had no clue what it was all about, but figured it wasn’t her place to ask. Not given Shangela’s precious reaction. 

“What?” The boy looked nervous, something demons lacked, and Trixie felt bad for ganging up on him. 

“We could just call the police. We don’t care what you came here to do as long as you give us the gun,” Aquaria’s breathing was uneven, and Shangela had a firm grip on her arm. “If I were you, I’d just hand it over and go on with your-“ 

“Don’t you dare call the police!” He said, panic and fear in his eyes. “I’m not- I’m not even supposed to be here right now.” 

“Who’s gonna stop us?” Aquaria shot back. “You?” 

He got up, finally revealing his gun. “Yeah,” His hands were shaking. “I wasn’t planning on hurting anyone, I swear!” 

The other people who were still in the diner, ducked under the table with screams, the man in the suit dashed for the door, and the waitress yelled, ducking behind the counter. Aquaria didn’t flinch. “You’ve made a bad choice,” Her voice sounded hollow, so disconnected from anything _human_ , that it even made Trixie scared. 

“Aqua-“ Shangela tried, right when the boy cocked the gun. She let go in an instant, letting Aquaria do what she wanted. The blonde grabbed the barrel with a swift move, moving her body away from it and smacking her hand against the boy’s wrist, pushing until the muzzle was pointing too much to his own body. It was a swift and quick move, and she was holding the gun, putting the safety pin back in it.

“Surprise, you didn’t stop me.” Aquaria said, closing her eyes, squeezing them shut as if she was fighting thoughts, actions. Trixie could just imagine her raising a perfectly tweezed and drawn in brow, even though her eyes were closed. Shangela reached forward again, her voice soothing and careful.

“Why don’t you give me the gun, and we’ll all leave-” 

In what seemed to be a flare of anger, Aquaria snapped her head. “He was gonna _hurt_ people, he deserves to be hurt!” It was as if two people were speaking at once; her voice rough and deep. 

The boy shook his head, but Trixie couldn’t help but agree. Sometimes you learned best by feeling the consequences. So she did nothing while Shangela grabbed Aquaria’s waist when she lunged in for a hit. 

“No!” Shangela pulled her back, stumbling into Trixie. “Girl, don’t just stand there, let’s get this bitch outside.” Trixie, even though rather slowly, grabbed Aquaria’s shoulder, helping Shangela drag her outside. From the corner of her eyes, she could swear Aquaria’s eyes were red. 

“You better be gone when I come back!” Shangela called back at the boy. “Just leave.” 

Pushing the door open, Aquaria stopped struggling, her face relaxing a bit more. “I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I really am,” She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes, hands curled into fists. “Do you think Adore has some more of the pills? I can’t fight her anymore.” 

While it probably wasn’t the best moment to ask, Trixie’s mind was exploding with questions, and all she could do was run a hand through her hair and release her lip from between her teeth. “What the fuck is going on?” She finally said. “I’ve tried to not ask questions, but that was _so unlike you_!” 

Shangela was silent, and Aquaria slowly opened her eyes. “You want to know?” Trixie nodded. “I’m possessed. That’s what the fuck is going on.” 

If anything, Trixie had _not_ expected that. “What?” 

“I’m possessed by dear sweet Sabatina, she tries to break me, but I’ve been dealing with her for like seven years now.” She sounded bitter, kicking at the gravel before leaning against the wall again. 

Trixie didn’t know how to react. What do you say to someone who just said they’re possessed? So, just like a goldfish, all Trixie could do was open her mouth just to close it again. 

“She has pills, they help her,” Shangela muttered. “It’s with salt, but since Sabatina is _in_ her, it hurts Aquaria, too.” 

It was all too much to wrap her head around, really. “So you’re telling me Aquaria is constantly fighting a demon? Internally?” 

“Basically,” Aquaria scoffed with a small smile. 

“The fuck.” To say Trixie was speechless was an understatement. It all made sense, though. The breakdown Trixie had witnessed, the way she had acted in the diner. 

“It’s hard, especially when I’m tired, hurt, frustrated,” Aquaria slowly said. “But it’s fine, I’ve dealt with it long enough.” 

With a slow nod, Trixie ran her hand through her hair again. “Didn’t see that coming,” She breathed out with a soft smile. 

Aquaria shrugged and Shangela just stood there, motionless. “I probably should say I’m sorry,” She whispered, surprising Trixie. “I shouldn’t have said it, and I’m sorry I hurt your feeling.” 

“Thanks,” Trixie couldn’t stay mad after the news. “It’s fine, I overreacted,” It was probably one of the first times she’d just… be this cool. 

“Well, you can keep doing whatever, but I’m gonna get Adore, we should head back.” Shangela pointed to the diner over her shoulder. Neither girls fought it. 

When Shangela left, there was an uncomfortable silence that fell over them. Trixie was too stunned or embarrassed to say anything, while Aquaria was fighting an internal and tiring battle. 

She wasn’t sure what to do with the info, she wasn’t sure if her perception of the woman had or would change. She hated herself for it, but she felt _sorry_ for Aquaria. She was sure her eyes were drowning in pity, but Aquaria didn’t look at her, which might have been for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come chat at tumblr! @tropicaldepressionkatya


	6. 6. Who is Kim?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sound of birds was so close that Jinkx could basically hear it. It was her favorite thing about living in the suburbs. Waking up to the sound of birds, the most gently fiancée laying next to her.
> 
> The best thing about Ivy was that she didn’t snore, probably. Jinkx knew she was a snorer, and for that reason, her being away most of the time was a good thing. Jinkx liked to stay up longest, anyway. Not that that usually went well, but since Ivy got pregnant, she was fast asleep after eight pm. Jinkx liked that.
> 
> She was laying on her back, trying not to move. Ivy was sensitive to her moving around in bed. As long as she could, Jinkx would stay put. She’d probably fall asleep again, not even being fully rested. She came back from work about two days ago, even though it felt like yesterday. It’d been late because she didn’t have the heart to skip drinks again, and found Ivy sleeping on the couch. Coming home was her favorite thing.
> 
> She was hoping for a few more days, just so she could go to one or two of Ivy’s pregnancy things Jinkx knew nothing about. She knew that was unlikely. Killers didn’t stop killing for her to have a domestic week. What she didn’t expect was for her work phone to start ringing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Trixie gets asked the same question like 10 times lmao  
> yes i was dead and am now a vampire lol jk i'm more of a witch? but yes! I hope you like this little chapter!

“Hey, Trix,” Trixie looked away from the television. She’d thought she was alone. Aquaria and Adore went grocery shopping, which meant getting coffee and chips and red vodka, she’d figured Shangela had joined them. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I uh, ask you something?” Shangela was fiddling with her rings, for once not seeking eye contact. “It’s kinda sensitive.” 

“Sure,” Trixie patted the spot next to her, turning the volume of the television down. When Shangela sat down, she began fiddling even more, if that was possible. 

“Kim,” She whispered. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said, and I just… maybe you need to talk about it. I’m here, if you want to.” 

Trixie's shoulders went up a bit, her back straightening as she let out a slow breath. She didn’t want to talk about it, but knew she _had_ to, at some point. It wasn’t like she wasn’t comfortable around Shangela, in fact, she hadn’t been _that_ comfortable around anyone since Kim. Deciding to bite the bullet, Trixie folded her legs in a more comfortable position. 

“Well, it’s-“ She didn’t know how to begin, but when Shangela reached for her hand, she found the courage to begin, even though she didn’t know what she was going to say. “We had this case, a ghost, in Chicago. There was more going on, though. We did some research, and found two buildings that could be the place the werewolves were staying,” Shangela squeezed her hand, and Trixie felt tears form in her eyes. “Kim wanted to check them out together, but I pressed on going separate, because how bad could it be? We wanted to go to the club after, anyway. We were young and had energy. I was naive, too. Who goes alone to a place that might hold werewolves?” She scoffed, feeling more guilty than anything else. If there was any night she could do over, any time she could change, it would be that damned night. 

“Girl,” Shangela softly said, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around Trixie’s shoulders. She didn’t know what to say because there wasn’t much to say at all. 

“We were young," Trixie repeated, her shoulders sinking at Shangela's touch. "Had too much courage for our own good, and I convinced Kim to split up. Two minutes into the building I knew Kim had the werewolf building, so I raced there. She was being attacked,” Trixie’s voice cracked and tears finally rolled over her cheeks. “I didn’t- I didn’t know what to do, so I set the building on fire. I- I pulled Kim out, but she- she was already too far gone to be saved. I kept apologizing and- and- I’ll never forget what she said.” 

“What did she say?” 

Trixie sniffed. “She said ‘don’t forget that you are indomitable’, and-“ Trixie finally let a sob escape. “And she _died_ , Shangela. She fucking died and it was my fault and I couldn’t save her.” 

Shangela wrapped her arms fully around Trixie, holding her close and whispering soothing words that could have meant nothing, but they made Trixie feel better, and that's all that mattered. Shangela’s comforting voice and touch eventually stopped her crying, and she allowed herself to be held, and to be cared for. 

It wasn’t until her breathing had calmed down when Shangela spoke up. “She’s right, you know,” Trixie pulled back a little, not willing to leave the comfort of her embrace. 

“What?” 

“You are indomitable,” Shangela wiped a strand of hair from Trixie's face. “Because you’re here, and you’re strong,” Shangela hesitated. “You’ve survived so long alone, but the biggest challenge will be letting people back in. What we do, it’s dangerous, and no matter how amazing you are, sometimes you need people who look out for you.” 

Trixie smiled, unmovingly with tear-stained cheeks. The position was burning her hurt ankle, but she didn’t care enough to change it. 

“And if you want, I- _we_ can be the ones that look out for you.” 

At that moment there wasn’t anything Trixie would have rather heard. For the first time in forever, she felt safe, and maybe even happy. She had people to fall back on, and for that, she was grateful. 

She didn’t know what pushed them together, maybe just being close, maybe Trixie just wanted to forget her pain for a minute, or maybe there had been a building tension all along. It didn’t matter, because when their lips found each other, they were all that mattered. 

While sparks didn’t fly, their kiss was soft and slow and warm and comforting and made Trixie feel better. Trixie’s hand went up to Shangela’s face, brushing through the soft curls. She smelled like tropical fruits body lotion, and Trixie swore she'd never smelt something so delicious. 

Their kiss was soft and slow and Trixie, for one, could go on and on forever if she had to. She felt as if they might until Shangela moved, her knee hitting Trixie’s leg, causing her ankle to move against the rough couch. She hissed in pain, pulling back. 

“Sorry,” Shangela moved back again, her hand finding Trixie’s, who just smiled. It was … different and yet all the same. At that moment, Trixie didn’t feel like talking, she didn’t feel like anything, really. She was _content_ in the silence. “Should you…” 

Trixie felt a chuckle in her throat, Shangela seemed to think it was awkward, though. “Oh, yeah,” Trixie moved her legs from the couch, feeling lightheaded and happy. “I’ll be right back.” 

More than anything, the reasonable part of Trixie’s brain was shouting that she'd made a big mistake, and that it all was going to fall down. But Trixie wasn’t a reasonable person most of the times. 

She applied some more cream, added a bandage and fluffed her hair back until it looked pretty again. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face and wondered if Shangela was having the same problem. 

The volume of the television was turned back up, but there was chatting, too. “I’ll cook!” 

“Boiling water for Ramen Noodles isn’t cooking, Adore,” 

“You have to _boil_ the water?! I just turned the faucet on hot.” 

“You truly are the weak spot of human beings.” 

“Hey, didn’t know you were back.” Trixie helped unpack the few bags. Red Bull, coffee, and snacks were basically the only thing they bought. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Aquaria placed a bag of green apples on the table. “We’ll be gone in like, two days at most.” 

“Always travel light,” Adore opened a can of Red Bull, hopping on the counter rather than helping. “Hey, What’s up with your lipstick? You put a gloss over it? A _reddish_ gloss?” 

The fact that Shangela’s darker gloss had smudged on her pink lipstick when they kissed wasn’t something Trixie had thought about when she’d been on the pink cloud that was only now beginning to fade. “What?” 

Adore pointed at her own lips. “It looks kinda crazy. Were you in a hurry?” 

Aquaria squinted her eyes at Trixie, who tried to focus on Adore. Aquaria _knew_. “Wasn’t planned. I couldn’t find my lighter one.” 

Adore nodded, finishing her Red Bull already as Trixie stuffed the chips in a cabin. “We were watching some reruns of-“ 

“It’s Criminal Minds now!” Shangela finally chipped in. “Grey’s Anatomy is done.” 

“That.” Trixie agreed. 

Adore was the first one on the couch. Aquaria yanked Trixie's arm, pulling closer. “What did you tell her?” Her voice was low, barely more than a whisper. 

“What do you mean?” Trixie took a step back, feeling tensing up in defense to the pointed tone. 

“What did you say to her? What did you say that made her kiss you!” She hissed, pulling the blonde closer to the door when Shangela raised an eyebrow at them. 

“What- how do you-“

“I’m not stupid,” Was all she had to say, her fingers had her arm in an iron grip. “So What kinda messed up shit did you tell her?” 

“She asked me about Kim, I cried and she kissed me. We’ve been flirting a lot-“ Trixie spoke fast, wishing she'd checked her lipstick. 

“Who’s Kim?” 

“My dead friend,” Trixie finally pulled her arm back, wanting the conversation to stop. “Don’t worry about it, it was just a kiss. One kiss.” 

“No, you don’t get it,” Aquaria shook her head, running a hand through her hair and playing with the bracelets. “You’re fucked up. She thinks you’re broken. She’s… she thinks love can fix it all. She thinks _her love_ is healing. Once you’re over it she’ll-“ 

“No.” Trixie stopped her, taking another step back. “She’s not like that. She cares about me.” 

“She does. Just not like that, I don’t think she-” 

“You don’t know what we have. Well, might have,” Trixie licked her lips, not caring about the lipstick for once. “I’m not falling in love and neither is she. I might never see y’all again, so just… let me have this moment.” 

Aquaria was silent for a long moment, and when Trixie was about to turn away, Aquaria broke the gaze, looking at her shoes. Maybe for the first time, Trixie saw her in sneakers. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Let’s just watch Criminal Minds, okay? Don’t worry about me.” 

The girls walked over to the couch, Trixie picking the small spot between the end of the couch and Shangela. Their legs were touching, and Shangela’s arm found its way around her shoulders. “What was that about?” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Trixie rested her head on Shangela’s shoulder. “Just makeup advice.” 

-

“Tell me about your first time,” Adore was laying on the bed, scrolling through her phone and talking to Trixie. It had taken a lot of convincing to make her stay at the hotel. Lots of yelling and pizza. 

“What?” That was a _really_ personal question. “Like, with a girl?” 

Adore barked out a loud laugh, shaking her head. “No! Your first hunt!” 

“Oh,” Trixie tugged her earring out of her ear and turned to face her. “It was an accident. Last year of high school. There was a vampire, and you know, he was pushing me against some wooden wall and wanted to suck my blood, the usual. Didn’t know that, back then. A friend of mine took me to boxing classes, though. So I was able to switch places. There was this stick sticking out,” Trixie smiled at the memory. “He wasn’t dead, but he was weakened. Next thing I know, Kim was there, sticking a wooden stake through his chest.” 

Adore smiled, rolling over and focussing on the story, even though Trixie had nothing to add. “Who’s Kim?” 

“She was my partner, we were great friends. She went to my school, she's the reason I’m a hunter and didn’t go to college.” Trixie placed her clothing in the suitcase. She knew she wouldn’t feel like it later and needed something to stop herself from crying _again_ , anyway. 

“She sounds like fun,” Adore laughed, throwing her feet over the edge of the bed. “What happened to her?” 

“She died,” Trixie took the last things from the dresser, closing the suitcase. “Yeah, yeah,” She could feel Adore’s pity filled eyes burning in her back. “Tragic, I’ve heard every response by now. It’s fine, it wasn’t her time, but hunters usually don’t make it there.” 

“You’re allowed to miss her, especially now that you’ve got us.” At that, Trixie smiled. Tomorrow, they were leaving, and Trixie didn’t know if she was invited. She didn’t even know if she wanted to go with them. It’d be a whole new world that she might not even like. 

“I miss her,” Trixie rubbed her hands against her jeans, trying to give herself _something_ to do now her suitcase was filled. “Every day. It’s been better since I met y’all. I’m not alone anymore, not so much time to think about… how everything sucks.” 

Adore laughed again, finding humor in it all. Trixie was grateful, the sound was pleasing, and made her own demons go away. “On a brighter note, how about tonight we go party? Ya know, dinner and a party.” 

“Who’s gonna drive us, then? We’ll be kicked out by nine in the morning. We need at _least_ two sober people. 

“Guess that’s true,” Adore shrugged, standing up. It amazed Trixie how she could walk on those heels and why she was wearing them inside when she left the hotel in sneakers or boots. “You can’t expect me not to drink, Aquaria loves driving but her skills are… questionable.” 

“Shangela can stay or something,” Trixie tried to make it sound casual, but even she noticed the way her voice got higher and how she _tried_ to sound as if she didn’t care. 

Adore snorted, even if she noticed Trixie’s questionable behavior, she let it slide. “As if, no one can make that woman stay home,” She shoved Trixie’s suitcase to the side, strutting to the bathroom. 

“Oh, really?” Trixie was _desperate_ , trying to sound anything but pathetic. “What’s… you know, she like? Back where you’re from.” 

“In Boston? She’s fucking amazing, no one fucks with her,” Adore leaned against the doorframe. “Why the sudden interest?” 

“Don’t know,” She crossed her arms, sitting down on the bed to give herself something to do again. “I wanna know more about them, I guess.” 

“Or,” Adore twirled her hair around her finger, the color even brighter against her pale skin. “You’re into her. Wouldn’t blame you. She’s _hot_.” 

“It’s not that,” Trixie didn’t believe it was a total lie. They kissed once, Shangela was nice to look at and was sweet to her. It was hard not feeling some kind of way towards her. “She’s interesting, though.” 

“Whatever you say,” Adore winked, finally turning around. Trixie allowed herself to blush. “I need to pee.” 

“Oversharing,” She whispered under her breath, tugging her suitcase back and pushing it under the bed. Trixie couldn’t help but wonder what would happen the next day. Would she go back to working alone? The better question was if she _could_ go back to working alone. She guessed not. Not without missing shared laughs, the feeling of security or a warm bed. She guessed she _needed _someone to be with her.__

__“Aquaria and Adore are going out today,” Trixie jumped slightly at the sudden voice behind her. She hadn’t heard Shangela come in. “Guess that means girls night without wine for us. “_ _

__“Doesn’t sound like too much fun,” Trixie gave the suitcase a last kick, hoping Shangela didn’t mean anything fancy. She didn’t want to open the suitcase again._ _

__“We can make it work,” She sat down on Aquaria’s bed, combing her hair with her fingers. “We can go to the diner, and I can show you my favorite place, it’s near the park.”_ _

__To Trixie, that sounded an awful lot like a date. However, she couldn’t bring herself to tease Shangela; the nerves were getting to her, which couldn’t mean anything good. She was _feeling_. “Sure, sounds like fun to me,” _ _

__Shangela smiled, that one soft smile Trixie rarely had the pleasure of seeing. She wondered if it’d be the last time she ever saw it. She tried to engrave it in her memories for lonely nights. “Cool, hope you didn’t eat too much Ramen Noodles.”_ _

__“Can you ever eat too much of that shit?”_ < _“Good point,” Shangela smiled, leaning back. “Are you okay with leaving in twenty?”_ _

__The bathroom door flung open, Adore looked like she heard everything. “Are you two going out as well?”_ _

__“The diner,” Shangela cleared her throat. “If you can have fun, we can, too.”_ _

__“Party,” Adore said, brushing past the beds. “Don’t get drunk, we need two drivers, though.”_ _

__As soon as Adore left, Shangela rolled her eyes, leaning back a bit. She looked relaxed, calm and collected. Everything Trixie was missing. “Kids.”_ _

__-_ _

__“Full already?” The smirk was small, cockiness evident in her tone._ _

__“Oh, fuck off,” Trixie threw one of her fries towards the other girl. “You dumped half your fries on my plate.”_ _

__“Hey!” Shangela swatted at the flying fry, missing. The fry hit her in the head. “I’m a petite woman, I can’t eat that much.”_ _

__“You’re saying I’m fat?” She laughed, taking another fry to throw._ _

__“I’m- No! You’re really beautiful, I didn’t-”_ _

__“I’m kidding,” Trixie put the fry in her mouth, wishing the plate was gone because she’d just keep eating and eating because they were so _good_ , no matter how full she was. “I know I’m not skinny, but I don’t mind that I’m not. My body is fucking beautiful and ladies usually swoon for it.” _And if they didn’t, they didn’t matter to Trixie.__ _

__“Hmm,” Shangela sipped from her glass, her eyes shortly traveling over Trixie’s upper body, finding her face more interesting. “I can see why.”_ _

__Snorting, Trixie shook her head, leaning back. “Really, you’re not that smooth.”_ _

__“I could try!” Shangela argued, finishing her drink. “Should we pay or do you want a dessert?”_ _

__“I’m good,” Trixie licked her lips, trying to think of a way that would crown _her_ to a smooth-talker. “Pretty sure there’s some dessert at the hotel.” _ _

__“As if that’s smooth,” Shangela snorted, kicking her under the table. It was a gentle touch, and if Trixie hadn’t been wearing pants she wouldn’t know what to do with herself._ _

__“C’mon, it _was_ smooth. you’re just bitter I’m better at this than you are.” _ _

__“In your dreams, peaches,” Trixie felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the little nickname. Shangema called the waiter over, and Trixie prayed that she didn’t notice the pink cheeks. “No, no, get it on there together, I’m paying.”_ _

__“You don’t have to-” Trixie tried to argue, as if she hadn’t been living off of Shangela’s and Aquaria’s talent of stealing._ _

__“Oh, shush, you,” She gave him a few bills, shrugging her coat on. “I wanted to do it.”_ _

__Trixie followed Shangela’s moves and put her jacket on. “Thanks.”_ _

__The fact that Shangela didn’t say what she meant confused Trixie. There was pity and empathy in her eyes, she didn’t know where that came from. Shangela let her hand slip into Trixie’s, smiling as they walked to the front doors._ _

__The rain that was pouring down from the dark skies wasn’t cute. A few seconds in it and they’d be _soaked_. “Guess we’re not going to your spot,” Trixie hugged her jacket to her body. _ _

__“It wasn’t special anyways,” She shrugged, squeezing Trixie’s hand, running into the rain. Her car was parked near the back, since the parking lot had been full when they arrived two hours before. Most of the people had left, and while Trixie wished her hair wouldn’t have gotten wet, she didn’t argue when Shangela pulled her under a tree. The rain still poured through it, most of its leaves had fallen off._ _

__“What?” Trixie asked, holding her bag above her head to shield her hair somewhat. Shangela, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about it._ _

__“You’re really pretty.”_ _

__“We’re getting soaked for your horrible _flirting_?” Trixie tugged Shangela further, shaking her head as she searched for her keys. “You’re unbelievable.” She wouldn’t admit she liked it. _ _

__No matter how fast both girls had moved, when they reached the car, their hair was dripping and mascara and eyeliner was smudging on their cheeks. “Trix,” Shangela softly said, the tone nearly scaring her. “Did this feel like a date to you?”_ _

__“Kinda,” Trixie chose the casual answer. She brushed some hair out of her face, but it was sticking to the sides of her face. “But if you don’t want that, I can pretend it didn’t.”_ _

__“Did you like it?”_ _

__She bit her lip, because she _did_ like it, and she wished it wouldn’t end at all, not ever. “Does it matter?” She dropped her hands into her lap, sighing. She finally worded what she’d been scared to say. “Tomorrow our ways will part and I probably won’t ever see y’all again.” _ _

__“What?” Shangela seemed taken back by that for some reason. Maybe it hadn’t occurred to her. “No, no, no, this is only the beginning. I thought you’d like to come with us. With _me_. You don’t - _shouldn’t _\- have to be alone. Not when there are people like us are here for you and-” The sheer panic in Shangela’s voice made something in Trixie snap. Maybe it was courage, but it could’ve been stupidity. It didn’t matter, because Shangela didn’t seem to mind at all;___ _

____Trixie pulled the other girl closer to her, connecting their lips again. It was better than the first time, Shangela’s hands finding Trixie’s back, twisting the ends of her hair around her fingertips in a way that she liked while Trixie kept her hand on Shangela’s face, the other resting on her tight. When she rubbed her thumb against her cheek, Shangela could have exploded because it was too soft and felt too right._ _ _ _

____Trixie wouldn’t call it falling in love, but she’d call it a delicious feeling that wasn’t going to go away. And to be honest, she didn’t want it to go away. she wanted to catch the butterflies, and hold on to the amazing feeling she had even Shangela was close, because damn, had she missed it._ _ _ _

____-_ _ _ _

____The sound of birds was so close that Jinkx could basically hear it. It was her favorite thing about living in the suburbs. Waking up to the sound of birds, the most gently _fiancée_ laying next to her. _ _ _ _

____The best thing about Ivy was that she didn’t snore, probably. Jinkx knew _she_ was a snorer, and for that reason, her being away most of the time was a good thing. Jinkx liked to stay up longest, anyway. Not that that usually went well, but since Ivy got pregnant, she was fast asleep after eight pm. Jinkx liked that. _ _ _ _

____She was laying on her back, trying not to move. Ivy was sensitive to her moving around in bed. As long as she could, Jinkx would stay put. She’d probably fall asleep again, not even being fully rested. She came back from work about two days ago, even though it felt like yesterday. It’d been late because she didn’t have the heart to skip drinks _again_ , and found Ivy sleeping on the couch. Coming home was her favorite thing. _ _ _ _

____She was hoping for a few more days, just so she could go to one or two of Ivy’s pregnancy things Jinkx knew nothing about. She knew that was unlikely. Killers didn’t stop killing for her to have a domestic week. What she didn’t expect was for her work phone to start ringing._ _ _ _

____As fast as she could, she answered, not wanting to wake Ivy up. “Hello?”_ _ _ _

____“Double homicide, can you be here in twenty?”_ _ _ _

____“What do I need to pack?” Jinkx carefully sat up, lowering her voice and moving away from the bedroom. “Well, for how long?”_ _ _ _

____“Dunno,” Roxxxy said, probably shrugging. “Pack for a week. It’ll be an interesting case. One barely looks human.” She gushed. She’d probably been up for hours, working on some unsolved case and drinking coffee as if it was oxygen._ _ _ _

____“Okay, I’ll be there.” Jinkx hung up, her mood changing from relaxed and blessed to _wishing she was never born_. _ _ _ _

____“Jinkx?” She turned to the sleepy voice, not being able to stop her smile. Not that she wanted to. “Leaving already?”_ _ _ _

____“I just got the call,” She moved to the bed, pulling a suitcase from under it, stuffing her charger in. “I’m lucky I’m always prepared.”_ _ _ _

____“When will you be back?”_ _ _ _

____“Roxxxy said to pack for a week,” Jinkx closed the suitcase, sitting down on the bed. “Two bodies were found.”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t wanna hear that,” Ivy pulled a face, rolling on her side. “Call me when you land?”_ _ _ _

____“Of course,” Jinkx leaned in to kiss her goodbye, then kissed Ivy’s still growing stomach. “I love my two girls. Or my girl and boy,” She smiled, kissing Ivy again. “Don’t stay up too late and don’t drink coffee.”_ _ _ _

____“I wouldn’t dare,” Ivy pushed herself to a sitting position. “I’ll miss you.”_ _ _ _

____At that, Jinkx smiled. It had become a tradition, almost. Whenever she was leaving, Ivy would get cheesy. She’d lie if she claimed to not love it. “I’ll miss you more, honey.”_ _ _ _

____“Come back safe.” Ivy got up as Jinkx lifted her suitcase. “Wouldn’t want our little baby to never know someone as amazing as you.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re making leaving harder every second, sweetheart,” Jinkx took one last step closer, kissing Ivy’s cheek. “I love you, I’ll call, okay?”_ _ _ _

____Ivy hummed, squeezing Jinkx’s arm before letting her leave._ _ _ _

____Jinkx loved her job. She really did. It had been everything she wanted and still was, in a way. She loved saving people, she loved how it wasn’t boring, she even loved the paperwork. But now that she was _finally_ settling down with the woman she’d call the love of her life, she began to find the hours annoying, and she missed her fiancée. She knew she’d miss things like her kid’s first day to school, miss their first steps, and miss their first words. She was beginning to wonder if her job was worth it. _ _ _ _

____The drive to work wasn’t long, luckily. She even had time to stop for an _actual_ coffee for her and Roxxxy. Waiting in line at the ungodly hour, she had time to grow tired again. She really needed that coffee. _ _ _ _

____When she entered the building five minutes later, she was welcomed by a running Gia, for once without red lipstick. “Why’re you so hurried?” Jinkx offered her a coffee, which she didn’t take._ _ _ _

____“They called and I didn’t do my hair, I’m such a mess right now.” Gia went through her bag, waiting for the elevator to open. “You’re so brave, coming out without makeup… and eyebrows.”_ _ _ _

____Jinkx laughed, shaking her head. “Left them at home, I went with hobo chic today.” She sipped her coffee, wishing she’d picked a latte for herself._ _ _ _

____“I can see that,” Gia chuckled, stepping into the elevator, puckering her lips at the mirror to apply her lipstick._ _ _ _

____“You, of all people, should know that’s not the best way to apply makeup.”_ _ _ _

____Gia smiled briefly, continuing doing it. “Let me feel my oats.” And Jinkx looked away._ _ _ _

____The doors slid open, and both girls walked to the meeting room. Roxxxy was about to enter when she spotted her teammates. “Welcome ladies,” She mocked, even though she looked very happy. Roxxxy was the kind of girl with a new passion. She loved interesting and hard cases. Her only love was her job._ _ _ _

____Jinkx had been like that, once. She’d learned, though, that work _can’t_ be the only thing in your life. She’d tried telling Roxxxy that, which ended in Roxxxy disliking Jinxk. She couldn’t blame her, though. _ _ _ _

____“Morning, want a coffee?”_ _ _ _

____Roxxxy took one with a nod, sitting down in her usual spot, closest to the wall. Shea walked in seconds later with a beautiful woman by her side. “Girls, this is Kimora, she’s our new tech girl._ _ _ _

____Gia took a seat next to Jinkx, raising her hand. “Should we wait for Vanessa or…”_ _ _ _

____“We don’t have time,” Shea said, sitting down. “She knows when we’re leaving. Kimora, give is the details.”_ _ _ _

____“Right,” She talked rather slowly, and Jinkx wondered if that was because it was early, or because she wasn’t fit for the job. After playing and trying, she found the right button to activate the beamer. “So they found two dead bodies in uh…” She flicked through her notes, frowning. “Idaho. They couldn’t tell if the second body was human,” She clicked and a picture showed up._ _ _ _

____Someone -or _something_ \- was pinned against a wall, with funky drawings carved into their body. _ _ _ _

____“Yeah, so this was under a church, totally disgusting. The other body died a few days ago. There are burns around the wounds, but like, poison burns, I don’t know. There were also these weird designs on the ground. That’s why the police connected them, you know?” The way she spoke was funny to Jinkx, although Roxxxy looked horrified, and Shea looked utterly surprised. Before anyone could make a comment, though, the doors swung open and the missing person from their group arrived._ _ _ _

____“Bitch!” Vanessa heaved, her eyes big. “I was fucking running when you called, sorry I’m late.”_ _ _ _

____“It’s okay, Vanjie,” Shea gave a file to everyone. “We’re going to Idaho, wheels up in twenty.”_ _ _ _

____Jinkx shoved the resting coffees over the table, taking out her phone._ _ _ _

_____Hey, we’re going to Idaho, hope it won’t take too long, love you loads._ _ _ _ _

____Whoever did what they did would _have_ to be arrested soon. Jinkx wanted some time off, just so she’d be able to be there for Ivy when she went into labor. That was the reason why they’d decided to keep the gender of the baby a secret. _ _ _ _

____“You good?”_ _ _ _

____“I’m fine.”_ _ _ _

____“How’s Ivy?” Jinkx flicked through the file, which wasn’t a great one, as she hummed._ _ _ _

____“She misses me, you know. That’s why I want to take a break, next month. She’ll be almost eight months pregnant, then.”_ _ _ _

____Shea nodded, her hands twitching, but not in a nervous way. Shea was never nervous. “Sure, we can arrange that. You’ve got enough vacation days saved up to take _months_ off.” _ _ _ _

____“That’s not what I want,” Jinkx closed the file, smiling. “I like my work, but I just…”_ _ _ _

____“Family time, I understand. You need to plan a wedding, too.”_ _ _ _

____“God, don’t start,” Jinkx thought about all the things Ivy wanted. rent a horse, have a beach wedding, wear the biggest dress she can find. It brought a lot of stress, since Jinkx wanted their wedding day to be a dream day for Ivy. “Ivy’s literally making my head explode.”_ _ _ _

____Shea was about to say something when she caught sight of Kimora trying to leave. “Miss Blac, wait up, please! Let’s discuss what just happened.”_ _ _ _

____Jinkx could already imagine what Shea’d say. _’That was horrible, didn’t you prepare anything? Can’t you talk like a normal person?’_ _ _ _ _

____As much as she liked Shea now, they had started out as coworkers, but Shea had become chief. Jinkx was happy for her, even though it sometimes seemed to become a bit much. She liked to think that Shea could handle it, because there’d never been anything Shea couldn’t handle. Shea was like a superhero, and Jinkx admired that._ _ _ _

____She gathered her suitcase from her car, bringing it to the little plane. She liked plane rides, especially when she could sleep. It was still early, and the coffee hadn’t helped a lot. All she wanted was go home, cuddle with Ivy and take a nap._ _ _ _

____But work called, so Jinkx forced her eyes open until the plane was high up in the sky, on their t’s way to Idaho, which, thinking about it, would be an hour at most. But an hour was better than nothing. So while the others flicked through files and chatted about their work-focussed life, Jinkx fell asleep. At least until a phone call from Kimora woke them up._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumbr @tropicaldepressionkatya if you want :)


	7. Chapter Seven; Brave New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Home._ Trixie didn’t even know if she had a home. 
> 
> Shangela folded her hands, sighing softly. It seemed like she had nothing to say, for once. Deciding to keep her thoughts locked in, Trixie took the bag away, her brain freezing as Katya walked in. 
> 
> “Are you okay?” Katya carefully asked, almost seeming scared to upset Trixie. “I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” 
> 
> “It’s fine,” Trixie shrugged. “You could have just told me you wanted me to crack my skull open, though.” She laughed briefly, seeing Katya crack a smile. “No, really, it happens. Just sucks that they didn’t give me enough time to beat you.” 
> 
> Katya relaxed, an airy laugh leaving her lips. With fast steps, she moved to the window, opening it and sitting on the counter. She reached for her cigarettes. “She really would have beaten you,” Shangela grinned. “Trix is an amazing fighter. Without runes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Yes, This is it! Chapter 7, finally, maybe. I hope you enjoy!

If there was one thing spookier than hunting demons, ghosts and everything else that was evil, it was little kids running dangerously fast. They could fall and die, or they could wrap their sticky little fingers around Trixie’s clothes, and then they would die. Neither one of those scenario’s seemed like a good option, in Trixie’s opinion. 

She was tired from the days in the car, and Adore hadn’t been helping at all. To switch things up, Trixie had been sitting with Adore in her car for the last few hours, and oh boy, that woman was tiring. Her personality and energy were too loud for a car, especially in a car with Trixie. 

At first, it had been fun; she was singing and Trixie joined her until her throat felt scratchy. After that, she didn’t _shut up_. So, when the car she was following slowed down near a villa, Trixie had been more than relieved. 

As much as she’d heard about Daisy, Raven’s daughter, she was scared of her, convinced there was a demon living inside that tiny girl. She was debating if she should pretend to not see her and just… walk away. Luckily for her, Adore ran to the girl, lifting her with a hug. 

“Daisy! Wow, you’re so much bigger!” Adore laughed, spinning the little girl around. Shangela and Aquaria moved to the girl as well, running a hand through her hair and squealing a greeting. Trixie wasn’t sure where her place was. Should she introduce herself? It seemed silly, doing that to a little child. 

“Trixie, you comin’?” Shangela called, and _God_ , had Trixie missed her the past few hours. The calming aura and jokes that she genuinely enjoyed. “I told Raven we were bringing you along and… well, she’s… Raven.” 

She didn’t know what that meant, but she had not other option but to follow the Shangela. Aquaria stayed behind with Adore and Daisy, who was desperate to show them something. “Should I be worried?” 

Her hands were clammy, and her mouth was dry. She had heard little of Raven, just that she was… intense. And while Trixie knew people used to call _her_ intense, it didn’t prepare her. 

“Raven! Where are you? Adore and Aquaria are with Daisy, I don’t know if that’s a smart idea,” The villa was beautiful. It wasn’t very modern, and the smell of an old stove reached Trixie’s nose. It was around dinner time, and her mouth began to water. 

“Boo!” Shangela jumped up, but Trixie had been too caught up in her thoughts to get scared. “Bitch, you were so scared, I love it!” 

A woman with neat black curls and an artistic white streak in her hair laughed, wrapped her arm around Shangela’s shoulders. “And you brought a new girl!” She had a thin but large scar running over her face. Trixie tried not to stare, instead smiled, running her hands over her shirt to straighten the wrinkles she got from sitting in a car for _days_. 

“I’m Trixie,” 

“I know who you are,” She went in for a hug. “I’m Manila, and just so you know, I’m the nicest bitch in here.” 

“That’s debatable,” A deeper voice came from behind them, and this time, Trixie was startled. “Trixie? You’re easy to scare.” 

Trixie took a deep breath while turning around. The woman in front of her looked pretty. She had a very neutral skin tone with dark hair. Her hair was pulled out of her face, but it looked long. Most definitely shiny and beautiful. All by all, she looked _really intimidating_. So, Trixie swallowed, feeling as if she was on a job interview.

“I haven’t slept in two days, redbull has stopped working, and I’ve had to hear Adore yelling for five hours, I think that’s a valid excuse.” Her voice didn’t tremble as much as she thought it would. 

“Adore is a lot, yeah,” She was holding a spoon, not a hint of a smile on her face. “You haven’t brought the girls in danger, have you?” 

“Not more than we do by ourselves,” Shangela cut in. “Saved our asses, too.” 

Raven looked skeptical, a light sauce was dripping onto the floor, and Trixie couldn’t help but focus on how one drop was barely dangling on it, when Raven finally spoke. “Can someone set the table? Phi Phi’s still in bed.” 

“I’ll do it,” Trixie didn’t think before she spoke, still standing nearest to Raven. “I’d love to help.” 

She squinted her eyes before she shrugged, turning back to what Trixie assumed was her kitchen. “I’m not planning on answering questions about where the plates are. You can look for them yourself.” 

Trixie briefly looked back at Shangela, pulling a face. “Girl, don’t look at me,” Shangela said between laughs. “You literally _jumped_ on that invenation.” 

“She isn’t that bad,” Manila said with a shrug. “And if she is I’m sure you can outrun her. She hasn’t been the same since the pregnancy.”

“I can fucking hear you!” 

Shangela and Manila giggled, and Trixie figured it was time to go do what she promised. Slightly scared, she moved through the door opening when someone outside yelled. “For fuck’s sake,” She heard Raven sigh. “Shangela! Manila! Go stop those losers from hurting my child!” 

“On it!” 

“God, Aquaria and Adore are really _incompetent >/i> sometimes,” Raven shook her head, stirring in one of the many pots. It smelt good and homey. “Yeah, plates are in that cabin, we’re with eight people and there’s a special bowl for Daisy.” _

_“How old is she?” Trixie opened the cabinet, counting the plates as she waited for an answer._

_“Five,” Raven’s voice was clear, even though there was a lot of noise in the kitchen, from loud voices outside to boiling pots and pans. “She turned five last month.”_

_“She’s cute,”_

_Raven was silent after that, and Trixie didn’t press it. She set the table, nearly dropping a glass and nearly having to ask Raven where the forks where. Even though it took Trixie a little too long to set the table, she had placed the last fork down when Raven began bringing the pots to the table._

_“Can you go and get those idiots outside?” Raven didn’t look at her, walking back and forth between the stove and the table in a way only a mother or a chef could. “Now, please.” She pressed a long moment of silence later._

_“Yeah,” Trixie was pretty sure she’d be able to find her way back outside, and as soon as she left the kitchen, it was as if a large weight was lifted off of her; she could relax, her breathing evened out again. No matter how pressured she felt, it was better than the breathtaking pressure and loneliness she felt when she was alone in a motel room. And because of that, she didn’t even care how hard the first few weeks were going to be._

_The sky was darker, and rain was coming, that was for sure. She didn’t know where the others were, she wasn’t even sure _who_ she was looking for. Daisy, probably. _

_Trixie followed the dirt path, hoping it would bring her to a garden. And it did. She didn’t know what she had expected, but the garden was larger than that. There were bushes and what had been flowers when the weather was better. The garden had a white patio that looked over the pool._

_“Guys?”_

_“Trix!” Shangela called, her head barely poking above the lower hedge in the back of the garden. “We’re here!”_

_“Yeah, cool, but dinner’s ready,” She yelled back. “I’m not coming over, do I need to get someone else?”_

_Shangela moved away from behind the bush, and Trixie saw Aquaria and Adore pop up. “Yeah girl, Manila is in her room. So is Phi Phi,” She paused, moving a bit closer. “I don’t think Katya is here, Manila said she was doing a _thing_ and I don’t think we wanna know what.” _

_Trixie smiled, taking the last few steps to Shangela. “Could you come with me? I have no idea where I should find them.”_

_Shangela walked towards the patio, opening the door and letting Trixie go in first. “Okay, so you just go up this stair. There are names on the doors. Everyone shares a room with someone,” Shangela began walking the stair. It was covered in carpet that looked _very_ soft. “Who will I be sharing a room with?” _

_“Katya,” Shangela said. “She’s cool, don’t worry,” She turned around just a brief second to smile at her. “I don’t have a really large bed, but if you _want_ you can join me if you’re not comfortable yet. I share a room with Manila, she wouldn’t mind.” _

_Trixie smiled at that, gently pushing Shangela when she reached the last step. “You’re so…”_

_“What?” Shangela teased, waiting for Trixie to take the last few steps. “Irresistible?”_

_“You could say that,” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. It was colder, upstairs. “Do you think… you know, that we can’t-”_

_“We’ll see,” Maybe it had been a stupid question, but Trixie actually _really liked_ how Shangela made her feel. Happy. Carefree. Clearing her throat, Shangela tucked her hair behind her ears. “So, this is your room, I’ll bring your bags after dinner,” Shangela passed a door that had _Katya_ written on it in a bright shade of red. She knocked on a door that was identical, just painted a bright yellow. It looked a lot like a hall full of kids. “Manila!” _

_“What?” They heard shuffling before the door opened. “You can just come in, this is your freaking room too!”_

_“Dinner’s ready,” Trixie said. “I set the table.”_

_“Wow, you can do basic chores?” It was hard to tell if she was joking or not._

_“I-”_

_“She’s joking,” Shangela said quickly, but Trixie noticed the sharp look Manila received. “Let’s find Phi Phi.”_

_Phi Phi turned out to be a woman with orange hair, a few inches shorter than Shangela, even. The first thing Trixie heard her say, well, yell, “I know you’re back, Shangela! I don’t care, I have my own problems!”_

_When all the girls finally were at the table, Raven was already feeding Daisy. Trixie was pretty sure five year olds could eat all by themselves, but Daisy wasn’t working with her._

_“I don’t like!” She said, turning her head away. “I don’t wanna eat.”_

_Everyone was chatting with each other, Shangela was filling everyone who wanted to hear it in about what they’d done on their trip, while Aquaria was talking to Manila about clothes._

_“When will Katie be here?” She decided to ask Phi Phi, even though she had sounded pretty intense upstairs. The redhead snorted loudly, almost spitting her food back out._

_“ _Who?_ ” _

_“Katie? That’s her name, right?” Trixie frowned, convinced she’d heard that name before. Judging by the laughter of nearly everyone in the room - even Raven tried to hide a smile - she should feel stupid._

_The laughter had blocked out the sound of the front door opening and a girl in high boots, an ugly yellow dress and pigtails. The dress had dirty spots on it, and her arms, bare for some reason, were decorated with runes. Her hair was a bit damp, so Trixie guessed it was raining._

_“My name’s Katya, bitch,” And for a moment Trixie believed she was offended. Until Katya cackled, throwing her head back. “I finally got to make the grand entrance I dreamed off,” She pulled the only empty chair back and sat down. “But my name really is Katya, bitch.”_

_Trixie smiled, not really knowing what to say. “Stop scaring her,” Phi Phi smiled at Katya._

_“Raven already did that,” Manila finished, laughing with Aquaria. Everyone was talking over one another, and Trixie realized she couldn’t even defend herself. Yet she didn’t mind. She liked the laughter and loud talking. It felt like how it had been with Kim, just louder and a bit more lonely._

_“So, you’re Trixie, right?” Katya sat opposite of Trixie, smiling brightly. Her voice was cheery and happy, and Trixie wondered how _anyone_ could sound that happy. _

_“The one and only,” Trixie liked the food Raven had made, although she wasn’t sure _what_ it was supposed to be. The meat tasted a bit burned, but everything else was great. _

_Starting a conversation turned out to be hard for Trixie. She didn’t know what she could ask. She was in _their_ house and didn’t know the boundaries yet. _

_“So Trixie,” She froze at Raven’s voice, chilly and slightly… alarming. “Tell us something about yourself. I know you hunt on your own, how does that work for you?”_

_Trixie swallowed, and if Shangela hadn’t reached for her knee, she might not have been able to talk at all. There was something about Raven’s energy that scared her off. “Yeah, I was probably slower since I had to stop to sleep, but I’m still alive, which is great.”_

_“Family? Friends?”_

_“Mom and sister, almost no contact. All my friends are dead or gone,” Trixie began to think it was an interrogation, so she answered like it was one._

_“Hm,” Raven didn’t seem pleased. “Do you have a house?”_

_“Apartment in California, mostly to keep all my shit stored.”_

_“There’s a _child_ here!” Raven quickly and sharply said. “Watch your words.” _

_Trixie pressed her lips together, and the conversation seemed to be over. “Honey,” Shangela chuckled, leaning closer. “I hope you sleep lightly.”_

_-_

_“Fifty percent and no weapons!” Adore yelled, kicking a few wooden swords off the practice floor, pushing the benches to the same side. “So, since we have a guest, we’re gonna do a little game. One challenger, there’s no no!”_

_With her brows knitted together, Trixie let herself be pushed to the bench. The door stayed open as the other girls came in, their laughter dying down to cocky and confident grins. “Manila, you go first.”_

_Everyone except for Phi Phi had changed into comfortable clothes. By the way everyone was rolling their muscles or how Manila was giving her a pointed look, Trixie guessed Phi Phi was too hurt to compete. In her head, Trixie had her fingers cross, wishing no one would pick her. Yet, that seemed unlikely, since she was the new girl. Like her mom used to tell her; ‘they have to check the meat before they send the animal to the butcher’._

_“Aquaria,” She grinned. “Never had a chance to challenge you, huh?”_

_“Bring it on,” Aquaria rolled her shoulders back, taking her stance. Manila’s stance was different than Aquaria’s, but neither one seemed good enough to block everything. Aquaria attacked first. She threw her fist towards Manila’s side, but the older woman blocked it, going in for a kick against the thigh. From her own experience, Trixie knew that hurt like a bitch._

_The girls were cheering, yelling, varying from ‘come on, there’s a free spot’, to supporting their closest friend._

_Aquaria took a step back, ducking under an incoming fist and taking that moment of free entrance to kick at Manila’s side. Manila bended sidewards, not enough air reaching her lungs quickly enough for a moment. Aquaria tried to use that successful hit for a couple of others, but Manila avoided it with ease. She was light on her feet._

_“Don’t get cocky now,” She grinned, having regained her breath. “We all know you’re not that good without weapons.”_

_The blonde lunged forwards, determined to prove her friend wrong. It was that moment of not thinking that Manila needed to win from Aquaria. One moment without thinking about the consequences of her actions. Manila ducked, pushing herself into Aquaria’s stomach, kicking her primary leg out from under her. A fall like that would have hurt, but Manila knew that it was just a friendly match, and held onto her so she wouldn’t fall too hard._

_“And that’s how you win,” She laughed, letting go of Aquaria, who fell on her back._

_“That was just luck,” She huffed out, brushing her hair away from her face, getting up as fast as she could._

_“I love winning,” Manila sighed, sitting down next to Trixie. “I pick Katya!”_

_Trixie saw Katya rise and move to where the other two had been standing before. Katya was short. Her skin and smile were beautiful, but her makeup and clothes were questionable. She had changed her pigtails for a regular ponytail, scanning over the girls as if she didn’t already knew who she was going to pick. “Trixie.” Of course._

_Swallowing, Trixie moved to the woman. It was weird how she was nervous at that moment, but never when she was about to fight an actual demon. She was determined to impress the girls, make sure they wouldn’t ever doubt her. She had more to prove than ever before._

_“You sure you’re ready?” She said, taking the boxing stance she’d learned when she had taken classes. “Not to brag, but I’m an unstable girl.”_

_Katya laughed, taking her own stance way more relaxed that Trixie._

_“Less talking, more fighting!” Phi Phi called, and Katya barked a laugh at the redhead._

_She wasn’t sure if it was cheating, but Trixie guessed not. She lunged towards Katya, hitting her stomach. She hoped it wasn’t too hard._

_“Oh, you’re a sneaky one,” She chuckled, recovering from the hit quickly. She waited for Trixie to make another move. Trixie realized she’d have to look at it from another point of view. Katya wasn’t a demon, Katya wasn’t predictable or fuelled by anger and raw power. She had skill, patience and looked right through Trixie. So, trying to remember her practises with Kim, Trixie focussed. “Hit me.”_

_And Trixie did just that. She threw in a punch, knowing Katya would be able to block it and kicked at her exposed side. However, Katya grabbed her leg, pulling her closer and kicking her leg out from under Trixie. She fell, but pushed herself up before the girls could cheer._

_“It’s not over ‘till the fat lady sings,” She swiped her hair from her face quickly, deciding what moves she should use._

_This time, Katya went in offence, throwing a weak punch. It was obvious that no hunter would even _dare_ throwing a punch like that for real. So Trixie saw a kick coming. What she didn’t see coming, was a high kick, especially not that hard. _

_Taken back, she stumbled, nearly falling over again. She wouldn’t give up. She couldn’t. So, Trixie shook her head, forcing the dizziness out and going in with a sweep of her leg. Katya did something she’d never seen a hunter do in a fight before. She jumped back on her hands, her legs landing behind them before she stood back up again with a slightly cocky grin._

_“Show off,” Trixie huffed, moving on her feet, hoping to throw the other girl off a bit._

_“What can I say,” Katya’s grin didn’t leave her face. “It’s time we finish this.” It didn’t sound threatening, coming from Katya. And as much as she thought Katya was a cool person, she wanted to win._

_So she went with a double kick, almost tripping over her own feet. Her skills certainly were rusty. Katya didn’t fall, nor did she look too affected, but she was shocked, which was good enough._

_“Okay, you both are too pussy to finish this fight, let’s call it truce,” Shangela ended the fight, and while Trixie had been so focussed, she hadn’t heard the other girls cheer for her. “Let’s get you some ice, baby, that was a hard kick,” Shangela laughed, pulling Trixie into the hallway._

_“I could’ve won!” Trixie argued, Shangela pulling her away before her own sentence was even finished._

_“I know that,” She smiled, letting her hand slide into Trixie’s. “You’ll get a rematch.” While she wasn’t wrong, Trixie mumbled under her breath as Shangela pulled her downstairs._

_“It doesn’t even hurt,” Trixie argued, making sure no one had followed them. Asides from the dizziness and pounding from her head she hadn’t noticed, she felt completely fine. “I’m serious.”_

_“Okay, fine,” Shangela shrugged, gently pushing Trixie down on a chair, moving to what she assumed was the freezer. She pulled out frozen peas, wrapping them in a towel with a grin. “But we don’t want your pretty face to swell.”_

_Trixie rolled her eyes, pressing the bag to her temple. “Do you guys always have these fight nights? Doesn’t seem very safe.”_

_Shangela laughed, hopping on the table. It was strange to Trixie, having to look up to her. Her curls looked fuller, and Trixie couldn’t help but notice that the edges of her contour weren’t blended perfectly. It was quite a charming angle. “We do it from time to time,” She looked over Trixie through the window, probably enjoying being taller for once. It was dark outside, but the window looked over the side of the house that wasn’t the road, so the stars were visible. “We train a lot, usually Raven or Peppermint help us.”_

_Trixie nodded, the cold tickling her hands through the towel, numbing her head. “You never did any of that?” Shangela looked back at her friend. “Training, having fun, you know?”_

_Trixie looked down at her bare feet, the pink nail polish was chipped and grown out in a way Trixie hated. “Sometimes,” Trixie curled her toes, hiding her nails under her feet, making a mental note about buying a new polish. It wasn’t like Shangela acted differently towards her, but Trixie felt different. She’d felt like an invader even in the hotel, and now there was a bed that she could have, if she wanted to. “Sometime’s Kim and I would splurge on a hotel. They often had like pools, or something, and we’d go there at night. It was far from ideal, but we were rarely at home.”_

__Home._ Trixie didn’t even know if she had a home. _

_Shangela folded her hands, sighing softly. It seemed like she had nothing to say, for once. Deciding to keep her thoughts locked in, Trixie took the bag away, her brain freezing as Katya walked in._

_“Are you okay?” Katya carefully asked, almost seeming scared to upset Trixie. “I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.”_

_“It’s fine,” Trixie shrugged. “You could have just told me you wanted me to crack my skull open, though.” She laughed briefly, seeing Katya crack a smile. “No, really, it happens. Just sucks that they didn’t give me enough time to beat you.”_

_Katya relaxed, an airy laugh leaving her lips. With fast steps, she moved to the window, opening it and sitting on the counter. She reached for her cigarettes. “She really would have beaten you,” Shangela grinned. “Trix is an amazing fighter. Without runes.”_

_“Is that so?” Katya hummed. “Maybe you can help us next case, then.”_

_“That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” Trixie liked being challenged. She liked arching her brow, begging the other to push her further._

_“I suppose so,” She took a long drag of her cigarette, and while Trixie hated everything about smoking, she was mesmerized with the light smoke that Katya blew outside and how it vanished. The smell lingered inside, barely reaching Trixie’s nostrils._

_Their peace was quickly disturbed by Manila, Phi Phi and Adore rushing into the room. Adore was cackling, her flannel was swung over Manila’s shoulders. “I fucking hate you.”_

_Manila said something back, but Phi Phi sighed so loud the words were drowned out. She pulled the fridge open, pouring herself a full glass of wine, chugging it down faster than she should be able to._

_“Someone’s having a hard time,” Shangela pointed out, hopping off the table to pour herself a glass too. “Anyone else? No? More for me.”_

_“I need to get up early, so ya know, I’m drinking wine to fall asleep faster.” Phi Phi poured herself another glass._

_“Girl, why do you need to get up early? We don’t have a case,” Manila said, reaching for the water bottle._

_“I need to do some stuff and then I have an appointment.”_

_“Ah,” Adore grinned. “A date.”_

_Phi Phi blushed, trying to casually sip her wine. “You’re a fucking bitch. I didn’t ask for you to point out the fucking obvious.”_

_Manila nearly choked on her water, but chose to not say anything._

_“Shouldn’t you be going to your place, anyways?” Shangela said. “It’s getting late. You haven’t had any alcohol yet. What better time to leave?”_

_“Wait,” Trixie frowned. “ _What_?” _

_Katya laughed, closing the window, the last traces of smoke lingering inside. The cigarette smell clinging to Katya, and Trixie wondered if their room would smell like that. “Adore doesn’t sleep here,” She pointed out, joining the group. “She’s usually here, but lives a couple of blocks away.”_

_“Why?” It all seemed really silly. From what she’d seen, the villa was large enough for at least four more people._

_“I like to go out,” Adore grinned, shrugging. “Get home late, sometimes with someone. Raven doesn’t want that around her precious baby.”_

_Trixie understood both of their sides. She wasn’t a big fan of children, but to a certain extent, she knew how to handle them. She didn’t want them to be a completely fucked up young adult, at least. “Makes sense, but why does she allow you around Daisy at all, then?”_

_Phi Phi laughed, shaking her head. “You’re an evil little bitch, huh?”_

_“Have you seen me?” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Nothing about me is little.” And all she heard was a loud, breathy cackle._

_-_

_“You look so different without makeup!” Katya smiled from her bed. She was wearing what seemed to be an ugly Christmas sweater and granny panties, obviously not ashamed._

_The room had smelt better than Trixie had imagined. While there was a certain cigarette stench, the many air fresheners and an open window had somewhat made up for that. “That’s kind of the point, Becky,” Trixie shot back, rubbing the last product off her cheeks._

_Katya laughed, letting herself fall back onto her bed, pulling the covers closer to her body. Trixie still slept in an old shirt. She really needed to go shopping. “Katya, are there like, stores around here? I really need new clothes.”_

_“Demon blood, am I right,” Katya smiled. “Yeah, I get my clothes not too far from here-“_

_“Oh god,” Trixie sat on her own bed, sighing rather dramatically. “Forget I asked. I don’t want to look like _you_.” While it was teasing, she was afraid it cake off as rude when Katya didn’t laugh. _

_“I’m fashionable!” She answered after a long moment._

_“When?”_

_“You’ve only seen one of my fabulous outfits,” Katya grinned, enjoying the banter._

_“There’s more?!”_

_“If you ever wanna borrow-“_

_“I’d rather die.”_

_Katya laughed, but didn’t answer. The lights were out, and Trixie slipped under the warm covers._

_It took Katya awhile to speak again. “It’s been some time since I shared a room.”_

_“Yeah?” Trixie couldn’t wait to personalize her nightstand with the few pictures she had. “Me too.”_

_“Who was your last?”_

_She laughed at the sentence, yet decided to not joke about it. “Kim. We were best friends and partners. You?” She loved how she could talk about her dead best friend more casually. It still hurt, as if every time she said they _were_ best friend, she betrayed her. _

_“I don’t really remember,” Katya rolled on her back. “Probably Adore, when she stayed here for a good few weeks,” Katya chuckled, and Trixie didn’t know what to do. “So, will you be okay?”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Well,” Katya drawled out. “You’re new here, of course it’s hard! When Phi Phi came here she didn’t sleep for three weeks!”_

_Trixie thought back about Shangela’s offer. When they’d gone to bed, it had been late, and Shangela had been yawning non-stop. She was probably already asleep, and Trixie didn’t want to wake her. Or her roommate. “I’m literally sleeping right now,” Trixie didn’t feel all too tired, but she knew she should._

_“Ah,” Katya chuckled, turning to face Trixie. “What are you dreaming? Is everyone naked?”_

_“See,” Trixie opened her eyes. “I wish.”_

_Katya laughed, pushing her blanket down in the process. It wasn’t loud, but it certainly was… dynamic. She couldn’t help but smile._

_When the laughter died down, the girls found themselves in a comfortable silence. Trixie’s eyes began slipping close, and Katya didn’t disturb her. Even if she had wanted to stay awake, she couldn’t have. Maybe she could sleep longer than five hours, for once. Just maybe, she could find peace._

_-_

_“Cause of death: unknown.”_

_“What do you mean, unknown?” Jinkx reached for her IPad._

_“Girl, do I look like I know? I’m reading off this report,” Kimora answered through the phone._

_“Sent it to us, Kimora.” Shea sounded calm and patient, which was surprising. She’d done nothing well enough to be praised. Jinkx hoped she’d settle in soon, though._

_“Right, wait,” Jinkx could basically _hear_ Kimora looking for the right button. _

_“It’s just ‘sent file’,” Jinkx smiled, leaning back in her chair._

_“Have you seen the number of buttons on this damn screen?” Before Jinkx could answer, Kimora spoke again. “Found it! Should I sent it to like… everyone?”_

_“Just the team,” Shea opened her own iPad. “I’ll call the rest.”_

_The others were in the same room, of course. They were spread out over the more comfortable couch and Vanessa was chatting with Roxxxy at the little fridge area, secretly eating Halloween themed cupcakes, even though Halloween was still weeks away._

_“Guys, c’mon, we’ve got work to do!”_

_Vanessa was the only one who groaned and dramatically dragged herself to the only table that could fit the whole tea around. Every iPad made a noise or lit up, all fingers swiped across it to look at the file._

_“All right,” Shea quickly scanned the document. It was only a couple of pages. “Jinkx and Roxxxy, talk to the local police. Gia and Vanessa, you go to the lab and check the bodies yourself. I’m gonna talk to the chief. We’ll check the murder scene out together, alright?”_

_Roxxxy has tensed up, maybe because she had to spend the day with Jinkx or maybe because the images attached to the file were… upsetting. Jinkx didn’t know._

_“Sounds good to me,”_

_Eventually, everyone agreed, reading through the updated file in silence before the plane was ready to land._

_Leaving their suitcases on the plane, they set off to their own destination. Shea, Roxxxy, and Jinkx shared a cab while Gia and Vanessa took another one. “We really should have called and asked for a police car to pick us up,” Roxxxy sighed, seeing the price bar rise and rise and rise._

_“This town is literally a black hole,” Shea leaned her head against the window, brushing her hair with her fingers in a casual way. “We should be happy they have cabs.”_

_“Actually,” Their driver interrupted them. “Our public transport is quite good-“_

_“No one asked you. Have you ever been to London? I’m pretty sure they have the best transport. Rarely any wait.”_

_“But busy-“_

_“Didn’t you hear the lady?” Jinkx half-joked, even though she caught herself on sounding a bit too serious. She didn’t mean it like that. However, their driver chuckled, shaking their head, and Shea smiled a tight smile._

_Jinkx guessed they were close to the police station, since the buildings began to become more frequent, and there were actually quite a few vehicles on the road. When her phone buzzed, she looked around to see if it hadn’t been anyone else’s. She rarely got texts that weren’t Ivy’s._

_Roxxxy reached for her phone, but put it back down again. So it was hers. The soft yellow case still looked as comforting as it had when she first bought it._

_Dela  
 _are you really on a case right now?_  
 _You know that Ivy’s got like three appointments this week._   
_She asked /me/ to come with her for the cake.__

_Jinkx  
 _It’s not like I have any say in when killers kill_   
_I’m gonna take some time off near the end of her pregnancy and like a whole month for our honeymoon__

_Dela  
 _Doesn’t help her now, does it?_ _

_With a sigh, Jinkx tucked her phone back. It wasn’t like Dela didn’t make excellent points, it was just that Jinkx couldn’t stay home nine months plus the time it took to plan their wedding. When Ivy had said yes, she knew that. When they agreed to have a baby, she knew it was going to be like this. Jinkx didn’t need Dela to tell her how awful she was._

_“You good?” Shea was leaning down, fixing her heel on her foot._

_“Yeah.”_

_“Good, because we’re here.”_

_The police station was small and underwhelming. The ‘i’ was faded and barely readable. The windows were dusty and even from outside Jinkx could see the desks looked as if they might break if the wind hit them. While she didn’t know what she had expected, she was disappointed._

_“This looks… worse than I had imagined.” Roxxxy didn’t even try to keep her voice down._

_“Well, there’s not a lot of crime in this town,” Jinkx shifted her gaze to a short man. He wasn’t thin but also not chubby. His hairline was slowly pulling back, but he made it work. He had one of those smiles that told people he was the one you should trust. Jinkx didn’t trust him. “I’m Mr. Gomez. The chief. Who’s Coulee?”_

_“That's me,” Shea took a step forwards, shaking his hand. “Can my girls go talk to your officers while we have a chat?”_

_“Of course,” Jinkx saw he didn’t have a jacket on. Who doesn’t have a jacket on in October? “Do you want some coffee before we talk? The flight must’ve been tiring.”_

_“No,” Jinkx and Roxxxy followed the other two inside. “It was just an hour.” Shea finished, flashing him a bright and beautiful smile._

_“Very well,” Mr. Gomez waved at a young man. “Charles! Show these ladies around! Fill them in, okay?”_

_A chubby man with a bright smile and blonde hair moved over to them. “Hello, ladies! You’re here about the murder case, right?”_

_Jinkx liked everything about him. His kind eyes and his comforting and cheery voice. He looked like he was a bad officer, though._

_“What else would we be here for, you-“ Jinkx stomped on Roxxxy’s foot, slightly enjoying her groan and eyes that could kill._

_“We are,” Jinkx said before Roxxxy could say - or do - anything else. “We just have a few questions.”_

_“Go for it, then! Do you want to take a seat?”_

_“We’re good,” Jinkx flipped through her notebook. “Did anything strange happen, in the week before the murders?”_

_Charles seemed to think about it for a moment. “Yeah, there was an FBI agent and some imposters. They left after just one day, though.”_

_Roxxxy and Jinkx locked eyes for a moment, deep frowns on their face. “Who was it?”_

_“Jessica Johnson, I believe. I don’t remember the other two too well. One was young and blonde, the other was older than her and had black curls.”_

_Jinkx felt her heartbeat spread up. “Okay, why don’t you slowly tell me what happened.”_

_“Sure. Agent Johnson came in first. She showed us her badge and stuff. So, the other two came, but agent Johnson hadn’t mentioned partners. We asked them to wait. Agent Johnson was with them for a good fifteen minutes before she came in, crying.”_

_“Why was she crying?” Both women were alert._

_“A man had attacked them, apparently. Chief Gomez had called us in for a quick briefing, so no one was here for about seven minutes.”_

_Roxxxy raised an eyebrow. “Three FBI agents couldn’t handle _a man_?” _

_Charles chuckled, shaking his head. “We don’t know. We never found him. The women were also gone. We didn’t really go looking for them, since we never got a call-“_

_“Oh god,” Jinkx muttered, closing her eyes. “Imposters again.”_

_“Let’s just ask Kimora to look for an agent called Jessica Johnson.” Roxxxy pulled out her phone, typing a quick message._

_“Okay, Charles, do you remember how they looked like?”_

_“Agent Johnson was blonde and had brown eyes. A diamond-shaped face, maybe. I don’t remember it too well, it’s been a while.”_

_“And why exactly didn’t you call us about this?”_

_Charles was quiet for a moment, considering his answer when Roxxxy joined them again. “Chief’s orders.”_

_-_

_Jinkx was lucky enough to share a room with Gia instead of Roxxxy, for once. Gia was a little bit cunty, a little bit nice. However, they were sharing a large plate of chips, sharing their discoveries._

_“The bodies were wild. One had strange inscriptions, one had no legs and the other was just… dead. Burned from the inside, which was weird.” Vanessa really just made a full story without swearing. Jinkx was proud._

_“Yeah,” Gia agreed. “They were thinking some sort of ritual. They found a few sets of footsteps, but the ground was too muddy to really make anything out of it.”_

_As soon as Jinkx had brought up the possible fake agents, Shea had jumped in, claiming that the chief had said something about that. It certainly was strange, but Shea pressed that they should focus on the murders instead. No data was missing, and the force that was used to kill those people was more likely to appear in a man. While Jinkx felt like they shouldn’t let it go, she just shrugged, deciding to do a little bit investigation on her side, if she had time to spare, of course._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!   
> You can hit me up on Tumblr; @tropicaldepressionkatya


	8. Chapter 8: Ease and happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trixie arrived at the villa of the girls, coming face to face with her worst nightmares: a child and a woman who might be scarier than any demon. But she also met the other hunters.  
> Meanwhile, Shea's team investigates the crime scene the hunters found earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey :)   
> Yes, I am finishing this. Writing has just been harder for me than it used to be lately? I'm getting into a block or getting out of it, I'm not too sure yet! Anyways, I hope you can enjoy!   
> THe summary is what happend last chapter, just because it took me like MONTHS to finish this, at least now you'll have an idea of what happend. Thank you for sticking with me :)

The fact that Trixie had a new wardrobe seemed positive and actually made her happy until Katya had urged her to buy at least two dark outfits for hunting. It was simply the safest, she claimed. Of course that was true, but that didn’t mean Trixie wanted to. 

As grateful as she was for not being alone, she still wanted to do what _she_ wanted. It’d roughly been a week that she’d been there and Manila’s non-stopping rambling, Phi Phi’s temper and Aquaria just being messy began to work on her nerves. It was nitpicking, her just being a spoiled brat, Trixie knew. The only ones who didn’t annoy her where Shangela and Katya. And surprisingly, Daisy, too. The little girl was hilarious, giving nippy comments in a way only a five-year-old could. She was surprisingly independent, and could easily spend hours looking at pictures of animals. Especially alpaca’s. 

While there were downsides, it had still been the best week Trixie’s had in a long time. While Phi Phi had been talking plenty about her dates, she was still very present in the household, if not often sitting on a couch with her phone or actually not trying to pick a fight in the car about the music. 

Trixie had only had one case. Shangela, Manila and herself drove for three hours and ended up staying there just two days. It was just a spirit, but their methods were different. Trixie knew she’d never get used to their ways, not really. But doing research together was easier and more enjoyable, easily being one of Trixie’s favorite things. At least for now. 

Her absolute favorite, though, was Raven’s food. The woman still hadn’t really warmed up to her, but did order her around, which was better than being ignored. Trixie could deal with that. Especially with how _amazing_ her food was. She’d never eaten pasta like hers. 

So overall, she wouldn’t want to leave as much as she had claimed just a few days before. 

It wasn’t until Trixie’s ninth day at the mansion that Shangela rushed downstairs with a small stack of paper in her hand. “Trixie!” Shangela wasn’t wearing shoes, and slipped when she came to a sudden halt on her socks. “We fucking forgot, I can’t believe this,” She smacked the papers down on the table, spreading them out. The pictures from the strange murder scene. There were more than Trixie had thought. “So get ready. We’re leaving.” 

“What? What are we even supposed to do with these?” Trixie put down her mug. She was still in pajama’s and not even close to ready to go. She’d rolled out of bed, all in all, a good ten minutes ago. 

“Get dressed! I’ll explain on the way,” The other girl reached for the half-empty mug, and Trixie couldn’t swat her away. “No! Get dressed, Trix. Knock on everyone’s door, too.” 

-

Shangela had been more than tense during the drive, she’d pressed the papers in Trixie’s hands, telling her to not let go. Phi Phi was seated in the back, furiously texting. She seemed immune to the tension. 

“Are you okay?” Trixie carefully asked, wrapping her fingers extra tight around the paper in case Shangela looked over. 

“I’m fine,” 

“You don’t look fine-” 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” Shangela glanced at Trixie. “You look cute today.” 

She chuckled, shaking her head. “I’m not wearing more makeup than a bit of blush and mascara.” 

“I can see, it suits you,” Shangela wiggled with her fingers, relaxing them shortly before wrapping them around the steering wheel again. 

Trixie shook her head, beginning to look through the papers. “Can you tell me what we’re gonna do?” 

“We are going to Peppermint,” Shangela said, finally relaxing a bit. “She asked to come over with some copies, she found something on the… the things we found.” 

“Oh,” Trixie nodded, looking at the copies of the pictures. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before, yet drew her in. “Well, she seems to live far away.” 

Trixie chuckled, leaning against her seat and looking outside. “Tell me when you want me to drive, okay?” 

-

“So…” Shangela rubbed her forehead, frowning. She looked like she didn’t understand a thing that had been said in the past half hour. But Trixie had to admit it had been rather confusing. Yet, she seemed to understand it better than Shangela. 

“What’s the thing you don’t get?” Phi Phi placed her hands on the table, looking over the drawings and pictures and old texts she didn’t even understand. “They made a portal of the humans, one failed, so they did it again.” 

“Yeah, near the sea. It’s good for, I don’t know, magic stuff I guess.”

“Basically, yes,” Peppermint said, walking to the shelve with old papers and small boxes with God knew what. “But here’s where it gets interesting,” She picked up a scroll and a couple of loose papers, dropping them over the rest of the notes. “This is a map of all the high energy points of America. Red is neutral, blue is good and black is negative.” 

“So where were the bodies found?” Trixie asked, noticing how there were spots that looked like all the energies met there. She guessed someplace there. 

“Over here,” Peppermint pressed her finger against a black dot. “It’s a point where all negative energies come together. There are more of those. Since they opened a portal, I’m guessing they will try again. A spell like that soaks up all the energy. They’re not playing, nor are they amateurs.” 

Trixie didn’t know how to feel. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say, think, do. Someone was trying to do something bad. Well, she guessed it was bad. “What kind of portal?” 

“Sorry?” 

“A portal for them to go through or to summon someone, something?” Phi Phi pulled a chair back, sitting down, interested in the conversation again. “I mean, if you can tell by the runes.” 

Peppermint pushed the map away, looking at the pictures again. “Usually you can tell by the symbols, but I haven’t seen most of these. Didn’t think it would matter, anyway.” 

“Well, can you figure it out?” Phi Phi’s voice, even though she probably didn’t mean it like that, her voice had a harsh demanding tone. Trixie could imagine herself being scared of a woman like her, if only she was taller. 

“Sure, with a bit of time and a bit of help,” 

“Do you have help?” Shangela joined again. “I mean, I’d help but, you know, I fight, I don’t read.” 

Peppermint laughed, pulling out her phone from her pantsuit pocket. The light blue looked good on her, Trixie wished she could pull that off. “Let me call Ivy.” 

Shangela turned to Trixie, offering her a smile. “So this is pretty wild,” 

“Tell me about it,” She leaned over again, looking at the notes one last time. She didn’t understand most of it, but she didn’t understand the way Shangela was looking at her either. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to understand. “What does that mean?” 

“Those are coordinates, Trixie,” Shangela said with a laugh. “I thought you went to college?” 

“Not for this shit,” She huffed, letting her fingers hover over words and signs she couldn’t even imagine meaning anything. She hadn’t noticed a thing until Shangela had her tiny hand wrapped around Trixie’s. 

“Relax,” She tugged on the hand, turning her with her back to the table. “Peppermint know this better than any of us do. She’ll tell us what we need to know to catch this bitch.” 

Even though Trixie had the _need_ to do it alone, the way Shangela ran circles over her hand with her thumb was comforting and made her smile. Leaning against the table, she nodded. “Okay, if you say so.” 

“Good, now, let’s google a motel because I’m too tired to drive, and so are you.” 

“Are we staying the night?” Phi Phi groaned, throwing her head back. “I was on patrol tonight! I had a date after!” 

“Unless you can fly us home, we gotta stay-”

“I can just make you a portal, you know,” Peppermint barely looked up from her phone. “It’s no trouble at all. I’ll drive when I have more answers.” 

“Please!” Phi Phi sighed out. “I stood her up two times already this month.” 

Shangela laughed, shaking her head. “When will we be meeting mystery girl, huh?” 

“Shut up,” Phi Phi snapped, her mood changing back to happy and pleading in a split second as she flashed puppy eyes at Peppermint.

“You don’t have to convince me, you know, it’s all set up already. Just wait like ten minutes, Ivy is on her way.” 

Ivy turned out to be a pretty lady, relatively tall, and certainly pregnant. Her red hair was straightened, the little hairs curly already. Her smile was sweet, just like the way she had one hand pressed to her belly, even when she hugged each of the girls. It was a short encounter with Phi Phi pulling Trixie and Shangela through a portal just seconds after being let go by Ivy. 

The portal made her feel swirly, light-weighted. When she stepped out, she bumped into Phi Phi, who scoffed before seeing her face. “Are you okay?” 

“Just a bit dizzy,” She noticed the green grass beneath her feet, the fresh air making her head clear up just a bit. 

“That’s normal for the first time, Shangela will be here in a sec, I gotta run.” Phi Phi patted Trixie’s cheek with a smile before running off. She was barely around the corner when Shangela popped out, laughing as she did. 

“Girl, you look sick.” 

“Didn’t expect it to be so… heavy.” She said, with the lack of a better description. 

Shangela turned around, watching the portal disappear again. 

“Why isn’t it in the house?” Trixie asked, finally beginning to feel better. “It would be so much easier if we didn’t have to walk God knows how long.” 

Shangela chuckled, kicking some leaves over the burned stripe in the ground. “Well, first of all, a portal needs energy. The house isn’t a good spot for that. Second of all, Raven doesn’t want any ‘weird shit’ around Daisy.” 

“Cute,” Her voice was dripping in sarcasm, the nose of her shoe digging in the soft dirt. 

“It’s not even that far,” Shangela wiped her hands, licking her lips quickly. “Like one block. Don’t be a baby.”

“Hey!” 

Shangela laughed, shaking her head. “Well, since you care so much, wanna grab a bite? I know an amazing restaurant in this street, if you’re too lazy to walk.” 

Trixie rolled her eyes, mumbling things under her breath she didn’t really want Shangela to hear. She followed the smaller girl, not recognizing where they were walking, even though she thought she’d be able to find the right street. Every house looked about the same. Pretty large and luxurious, flowers in the front garden, and a couple of chairs on the small grass or stone porch. Shangela, however, seemed to not have a problem with everything resembling each other. Trixie could have sworn they’d passed the same tree twice already, when she spotted a small restaurant, the name already too far faded for her to read in the setting sunlight. 

“It tastes better than it looks,” Shangela assured her. Trixie, who hadn’t realized she was actually nearly starving, didn’t need much convincing. Shangela held open the door for her, smiling kindly at the lady behind the counter, who waved at her. 

“Shangela! It’s been awhile. Where are your girls?” Her curls were bouncing when she flipped her hair. 

“It’s just one tonight,” She said with a chuckle, listening to the bell when the door closed behind them again. The girls sat down next to the window, the only other customers being an older couple holding hands over empty plates, a nearly empty bottle of wine accompanying them. “The others had to work.” 

“Well, at least you’re looking better than last time I saw you.” The woman moved over to their table. “What can I get you and your friend?” 

“We haven’t looked at-” 

“Give us the smoothies, please. Double strawberry. Oh, and the menu.” 

The woman nodded, skipping off, giving Trixie the chance to turn to Shangela. “So you’re ordering for me now huh? What is this? A date?” 

Shangela laughed, airy and kind, innocent, yet very guilty. “I mean I hoped so, girl,” 

“Stop calling me 'girl' and we’ll see.” 

\--

“No way,” She laughed, shaking her head. “She shaved her head? Like a full Britney Spears moment?” 

“No!” Shangela breathed out in between laughs. “She did it because she wanted to be pretty,” She sipped her drink, having switched from water to wine some time ago. 

Trixie didn’t even like wine, thought the after taste was disgusting, but couldn’t bring herself to stop drinking it. “Did it work?” 

“I mean, she rocked the look, but with hair was prettier, yes.” 

Trixie smiled, swirling the last of her drink around in her glass. She was tired, suddenly. The food had apparently landed in her stomach, making her tired, yet happy. Trixie Mattel was actually happy. 

Shangela seemed to pick up the tired smile and lack of witty responses thrown at her head, and asked for the bill. Trixie didn’t mind letting Shangela pay. Soon, they were outside. The October evening was cold and dark, yet the hint of that typical autumn smell made Trixie happy. It reminded her of a simpler time with a dog in the woods, the sound of crisp leaves beneath her feet, and the many laughs she shared with the people she once loved. With people who once loved her. She wondered what happened. 

“Are you okay?” 

“A bit tired,” Trixie banned the thoughts from her head. Thinking about the past was never good, she couldn’t change it, so why bother feeling sad about it? “Why?” 

Shangela shrugged, her shoulder bumping into Trixie’s arm. She didn’t seem bothered with the cold or the fact that it was little before midnight. She hadn’t realized how fast time flew by when she was with Shangela. Time wasn’t a pain, a sorrow, a sufferable thing, when she was with her. “You looked a bit lost.” 

The choice of words couldn’t have been better, yet she seemed to have never felt like she belonged more at the same time. Feelings were complicated, Trixie realized. “I’ve never felt as if I belonged more.” The realization hit her hard in the face, and she was unable, _unwilling_ , to keep those thoughts in her mind. 

Shangela seemed to think about it for a second, standing in front of Trixie, who had stopped walking. “I’m glad, because you belong with people like yourself.” 

She smiled weakly, yet felt the happiness rise in her chest. There was so much she could say, so much she didn’t want to say just yet. There were little things she could do, but Trixie preferred deeds over words, and leaned down to kiss Shangela. It felt comforting, like petting a dog or seeing an old relative again. It confused her more than it should, and she wondered if the passion and fire she’d once felt, had been a trick of her own mind. She didn’t pull away, though. At that very moment, she was more than happy with the kiss that felt comforting, yet weird. Shangela was more than enough. 

As soon as they pulled away, shivering and needing the extra oxygen, they smiled at each other and continued walking, without words. Shangela’s hand found Trixie’s as she lead the way back to the villa. 

What the kiss - which wasn’t the first, of course - meant, she didn’t know. She liked Shangela, but maybe it was just her touch starved brain that had been convincing her of the ‘connection’ and ‘spark’ when they first met. Maybe Trixie just wasn’t feeling herself that night. Maybe it didn’t matter. Trixie was too tired to think, anyway. Her head was already overflowing with the new knowledge and her body was packed with the food. There was nothing she could do about anything except sleep. Her vague feelings wouldn’t run away, so Trixie didn’t know why she couldn’t turn them off, even if it was just for a second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr @ tropicaldepressionkatya :)


End file.
